THE players are not professionals but there is nothing amateur about England’s attempt to win the women’s World Cup, which begins today in Canada with a match against the United States.

Take the captain, Jo Yapp. First it was the surgeon’s knife on a niggling hip injury, then rehabilitation overseen by the English Institute of Sport, followed by sessions with the Birmingham Ballet. Camps to hone tactics were based at Loughborough University and then there was a week of physical fine-tuning with the Royal Marines in Devon.

“We’re ready,” Yapp said, satisfied that such attention to detail will lift England to the summit for the first time in 12 years. Since their lone victory in 1994, the Black Ferns of New Zealand have dominated and come the final, at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on September 17, Yapp expects the familiar adversaries to be battling for the crown.

“There are threats from all angles,” Yapp said, “because France can never be underestimated and the US are always hard. But the Black Ferns have been the dominant force and, although we lost, our tour there last winter taught us what we have to do to overcome them.”

According to the 26-year-old Yapp, keeping the main cast fit for every bruising encounter is no longer one of the essentials. “That’s the encouraging thing about this England squad compared to the ones in the past,” Yapp said. “We’ve got fantastic depth now. We don’t go ‘Oh my God!’ if a star player gets injured, because the replacement player is just as good.”

So, too, will Yapp’s leadership, which has blossomed since she first wore the armband two seasons ago. “In the beginning I didn’t think I could do it,” she said. “That was because of all the surrounding stuff, like the whole public speaking thing. When I’d been chosen, I was looking at all the players’ faces, seeing if they thought it was OK. Everybody was brilliant.”

It is on the pitch that the scrum half feels most at home. “That’s where my captaincy counts,” she said, “not the talking about the game afterwards. I try and focus on the here and now but I’ve had moments when I let myself dream about what it would be like to hold that trophy. It doesn’t get any better than leading your country at a World Cup.”

That is one of the reasons, perhaps, why Yapp has decided not to play in next season’s Six Nations. “Taking a year out to go travelling is something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “From the age of 12, when my dad and brother took me to my first rugby practice at Ludlow Ladies, the sport has been my life. I feel the time is right to see more of the world.”

She will worry about a job when she gets back, but Yapp does miss the pupils and her former colleagues at Bewdley High School in Worcestershire, where she taught PE for two years. “Everybody was so supportive of my rugby there,” Yapp said.

Tony, Yapp’s brother, is a professional rugby player at Exeter and his support has been central through the ups and downs. “He’s always helped me,” Yapp said, “and although we don’t get to train together much any more, I can always go to him for advice.”

Tony is not much more than a drop kick away from the Royal Marines base in Lympstone, Exmouth, but he did not alarm his sibling with tales of abseiling and assault courses. She found out for herself. The squad, though, lapped up the challenges and boarded their flight as a fit, tight-knit unit.

“It’s that whole team aspect, that working together and trusting one another, that is probably the best thing about international rugby,” Yapp said. “We’re all determined to show what we can do in this tournament. Winning it is what we’ve all dreamt about for a long time.”

How they line up

ENGLAND (v United States): C Barras (Lichfield); N Crawford (Worcester), S Day (Wasps), K Oliver (Clifton), K Shaylor (Worcester); K Andrew (Saracens), J Yapp, (Worcester, captain); R Clark (Henley), A Garnett (Saracens), V Gray (Wasps), J Sutton (Richmond), T Taylor (Thirsk), G Stevens (Clifton), M Alphonsi (Saracens), C Spencer (Folkestone). Replacements: S Rudge (Wasps), K Storie (Clifton), J Lyne (Richmond), H Clayton (Saracens), A Turner (Wasps), S Rae (Wasps), M Staniford (Henley).

POOLS: A: New Zealand, Spain, Kazakhstan. B: England, Australia, Ireland. C: France, United States, South Africa. D: Canada, Scotland, Samoa.

POOL SCHEDULE: Today: England v United States (Ellerslie Rugby Park, Edmonton), Scotland v Spain (St Albert, Edmonton), Ireland v France (St Albert). Sept 4: England v South Africa (Ellerslie RP), Scotland v Kazakhstan (St Albert), Ireland v US (Ellerslie RP). Sept 8: England v France (St Albert), Scotland v New Zealand (Ellerslie RP), Ireland v South Africa (St Albert). Sept 12: Semi-finals. Sept 16: Consolation finals (Ellerslie RP). Sept 17: final (Commonwealth Stadium

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