This World Cup has been a joy to watch, mostly. There have been upsets, cancelled games, countries being fined, controversial decisions – it has had all the drama you would expect, and it’s been on terrestrial TV for all to see. 

I have enjoyed hearing the dulcet tones of my old team mates Maggie Alphonsi and Danielle Waterman, and I do think it is time for more female commentators and pundits to be unleashed onto the scene - if you’re good, you should be out there.

One of the semi-finals was a brilliant game to watch, even for the neutral. The England boys defended with absolute intensity, from 1-23, with Courtney Lawes and Maro Itoje leading the way, as has become commonplace. When they had the ball, England played with incredible pace, exactly how Australia had been playing for most of this season, and indeed how they beat NZ 47-26 in the Rugby Championship earlier this year. It seems like Eddie did his homework.

The South Africa v Wales semi-final, by contrast, was very slow and was dominated by big tackles and high kicks, but little else. This will be the challenge that England have to face, how are you creative, and how do you play with pace when there is a brick wall of exceptionally large, well drilled, South Africans in front of you?

England will have to either go into quick ball overdrive to catch the South African defence disorganised, and then offside, or will have to spread them out wide. This will ensure that those heavy midfield tackles that the Springboks put in against Wales are dampened down as they try to cover the whole width of the pitch.

The final of the World Cup 2019 will be a re-run of the 2007 final in Paris, where an over-performing England were out-muscled and out-kicked by the Springboks 15-6. England are certainly a team coming into form this time around, and have South Africa peaked too early?

I am, of course, totally biased when it comes to rugby compared to other sports. However, I do find it bizarre that when the England football team are playing in a World Cup, you cannot help but know about it. You walk into any supermarket and are greeted by England flags, bunting, face paints, jewellery, inflatable hands, you name it, it is there in red and white, yet our rugby team is playing in the final, having knocked out the reigning world champions. Shouldn’t we be painting mini roundabouts with the St George’s cross?

I am looking forward to the nation’s reaction on Saturday morning when, hopefully, England come out of the final victorious. The effect that simply having a World Cup on terrestrial TV has on participation numbers across the grassroots game is incredible, let alone if England win. When we won in 2014, we were front page news of the main newspapers, which at the time, was an incredible feat. I remember thinking, I wonder if anyone watched, I wonder if anyone was inspired, and I am still overwhelmed now by the number of people who did and were. We cannot underestimate the impact that a well documented win for a national team can have on the game at grassroots level. Rugby clubs, prepare yourselves.

I will be sat in one of those rugby clubs, albeit in Belfast, with two of the Irish players who I played against in the World Cup semi-final in 2014. I will be proudly cheering on my boys, and forging friendships that you only find in rugby. The England men’s team have been in four World Cup finals; they lost to Australia in 1991, then beat them in 2003, they lost to South Africa in 2007, so here’s hoping the pattern of history repeats itself.