Danielle Waterman: England’s World Cup winner retires from Test rugby

Photo: (Getty Images)
By Jake Jones

England World Cup-winner Danielle Waterman has announced her retirement from international rugby.

Waterman played in four World Cups, scoring in the 2014 final as England beat Canada to lift the trophy in Paris.
“It has been an incredible journey and a true honour to be a Red Rose for the past 15 years,” said Waterman.
“Its been a huge privilege to have not only played alongside and against some of the best players in the world, but to have been part of the huge development and progression of women’s international rugby to date.
“Winning the World Cup in 2014 was definitely a dream come true and to beat New Zealand for the first time in 16 years and go world number one was amazing, and to do it with the support of the Lions crowd was amazing.”
England women’s head coach Simon Middleton said Waterman was the “ultimate England player”.
“She’s what an England player should be. She’s incredibly skilful, incredibly athletic but more than anything she’s probably the bravest player I’ve ever seen on a rugby field and that’s men’s or women’s rugby,” added Middleton.
“She’s been an absolute inspiration to coach and she’s an inspiration for anybody that’s watched her play.”
Waterman is sixth on the all-time list of England women’s appearances with her 82 caps, scoring 47 tries across her international career spanning 15 years. The 33 year-old also played sevens for Team GB at the 2016 Olympic Games.
The full-back, who missed out on playing in a fourth World Cup final in 2017 after being ruled out with concussion, only lost one Six Nations game during her England career, against France earlier this year.
Waterman, who currently plays for Wasps in the Tyrrells Premier 15s, will continue to play club rugby next season.