England have reached their sixth consecutive Rugby World Cup final after a thrilling win over Canada last weekend.

Spearheaded by captain Sarah Hunter, the Red Roses are gunning for their third world title and first since 2014.

The skipper appeared on the latest season of the Gamechangers podcast with Sue Anstiss to talk about her England call up and competing in her fourth World Cup.

Despite taking on the role of captain back in 2016, Hunter admitted an international call up is never something a player should expect.

"You never know with selection, even being a senior player, being captain of the side — you never want to rest on your laurels. You never want to take it for granted."

International call ups are often bittersweet when you come from a close-knit squad, as there are always players who miss out. For Hunter, her England call up was of course a moment of pride for herself, but also a tough one as she checked in on her teammates who didn’t make the cut. 

How have England dealt with being favourites?

Before the tournament kicked off, the Red Roses were already touted as favourites to take the title home. However, Hunter stressed the team made sure not to get too caught up in the excitement and pressure of the world's eyes being on them to deliver the goods.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - NOVEMBER 05: Maud Muir of England and Poppy Cleall of England celebrate after winning the Rugby World Cup 2021 Semifinal match between Canada and England at Eden Park on November 05, 2022, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)

"I think, for us, we don't talk about it," she admitted. "We don't talk and go, 'oh my God, girls, we're number one in the world, we're favourites to win.'

"We're quite a grounded side. You know, we don't think about the end goal. We think about the processes to get us there and I think we try to internalise everything."

Hunter said the team had been trying to treat all the background chatter as "white noise" and focus solely on their performances on the pitch, day by day.

Who is Sarah Hunter?

Hunter started her senior rugby union career back in 2004 when she joined Lichfield Ladies at just 15 years of age. Now, she is competing in her fourth World Cup and hoping to secure the silverware for her country.

Three years after her debut, she made her first appearance for the England international team. Since then, she has established herself as a mainstay in the side and in 2014, she was named captain after helping the team win their first world title in 20 years.

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 24: Sarah Hunter of England is challenged by Edel McMahon and Nichola Fryday of Ireland during the TikTok Women's Six Nations match between England and Ireland at Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium on April 24, 2022 in Leicester, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Hunter described the 2014 triumph as a "momentous occasion" and she praised the "incredible team" who made the dream a reality.

"It's still probably the highlight of my rugby career, but I still get hairs on the back of my neck when I talk about it," she said.

After England's quarter-final win over Australia last month, Hunter made her 138th appearance for her country. As well as celebrating their huge victory, Hunter became the most-capped England international and most capped-women's player in history.

If she can guide the Red Roses to one more win next Saturday, they will lift the trophy  and reclaim the honour of being world champions.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - NOVEMBER 05: Sarah Hunter of England leads her team onto the field during Rugby World Cup 2021 Semifinal match between Canada and England at Eden Park on November 05, 2022, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)

How have England performed in the World Cup so far?

England are enjoying a very strong run in the 2022 World Cup and have won every match so far.

The first was a 84-19 scoreline over Fiji, before a 13-7 win against France. England then went on to run riot over South Africa in a 75-0 thrashing. The Red Roses followed up by brushing aside Australia prior to their 26-19 win over Canada to secure their place in the final.

England will compete in their seventh World Cup final on Saturday where they will look to overthrow reigning champions New Zealand, who snatched the crown from them in 2017.

Hunter also mentioned teammate Hannah Botterman and how she is inspiring other women to pursue their dreams in sport on the biggest stage in the world.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - OCTOBER 30: Hannah Botterman of England is tackled during Rugby World Cup 2021 New Zealand Quarterfinal match between England and Australia at Waitakere Stadium on October 30, 2022, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

"Hannah Botterman isn't your average looking female, but do you know what? She's confident in it. She owns how she wants.

"She's confident to say 'this is what I want to look like, this is how I want to dress. But you know what? I'm a great rugby player. I'm an international player who is taking the world by storm and I'm off to a World Cup.'

"And for everyone growing up — if they can see people who look like them, doing sport and thinking 'actually, there's a world I can go into,' that's pretty special."

Listen to the full Gamechangers podcast episode with Sarah Hunter here.

You can find all the latest rugby news stories right here on GiveMeSport.

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