by Jess Breach pauses in mid-flow, caught in a double take. The Red Rose’s speed queen rarely slows down in the rugby sense these days, but she was stopped in her tracks watching herself on the big screen at Twickenham.
One minute Sárú vividly explains how she relished acting as unofficial sprint coach for her England team-mates, the next reflecting on the ever-growing role model status of the Red Roses.
Rudimental’s ‘Feel the Love’ blasts over the Twickenham public address system to join the Red Roses highlight reel.
Just before England host Ireland in the Women’s Six Nations in front of more than 47,000 fans on Saturday, the final touches are being made at the west London stadium.
Fresh from a training session on the hall turf, there’s a breach and company, and it’s a carpet-like surface that turns the conversation at speed.
“The grass is pristine, and very different from other surfaces,” says Sárú Standard Sports. “Every time you walk out of the tunnel here, even if it’s not on a game day, it’s great.
“Twickenham pitch is one of my favourites. The groundsmen keep it very principled, it’s a special grass, and it’s a very fast, wide pitch and it’s obviously very helpful for us speedsters.
“Compared to some other surfaces, you can definitely walk faster here. Under new coach John Mitchell we are developing our game plan and part of that is playing with width and pace, which is music to someone like me.”
We want to be the best team in the world, and everyone would say that openly
Jess’s defeat of the Red Roses of England
Just as free as she is scoring, 26-year-old winger Breach has been an integral part of England since signing a full-time Red Roses contract in 2019.
A junior hurler who broke through with Harlequins and then the international Sevens programme, Breach’s profile is rising with the Red Roses and the rapidly increasing focus on the women’s game.
As the Red Roses attempt to mount beams around Twickenham, Sarú considers the changing times.
When asked if she gets used to seeing herself on screen, she laughed and replied: “No, I mean, no. I really enjoy watching the highlight reels of the games.
“I think it’s really fun to look at our best pieces. When we’re maybe in a competition, if we walk around Twickenham people might recognize us.
“That can be great, but when we played at Twickenham against France last year in front of 58,000 people is amazing.
“The bus ride in was incredible, the amount of people there when we arrived was crazy. We haven’t experienced anything like that before, so to have something similar this weekend against Ireland is a big thing.
“It’s a good balance to be able to do your business in a different way outside of the rugby context. I think it would always be difficult to be recognized.
“After the game against Great Britain in Bristol, we could all go home after that game. But my boyfriend was having dinner with his friend who lives in Bristol, near the hotel, so I joined them.
“I sat down and we were next to some fans who were at the game. They didn’t want to interrupt but I could hear them saying, ‘Oh my God, that’s Jess, because she’s sitting next to us while we’re eating’.
“When we finished eating they asked for a photo which of course they could. That was pretty surreal to be honest.”
If England are still getting used to the attention, they are quite comfortable with the highest standards that can be set.
Determined to be the best in the world and claim World Cup glory at home in 2025, Breach also revealed she is willing to provide her squad mates with tips and tricks on sprinting technique.
“We have two speed sessions a week, one on fitness and the other on top speed,” she explained.
“Then in the off-season it’s really important to get technique and raw speed back.
“Everybody does it, and because I’ve kind of done that for a long time through my athletic background, I love helping everybody else.
“It’s great if people ask for some tips or check out some things, then they come back with big gains.
“We don’t shy away from where we want to get to, and all these things contribute to that, when we are working to improve.
“We’ve been a good team for a while, but we want to be a great team.
“We want to be the best team in the world, and everyone would say that openly.
“We all want to get better and be the best individuals we can as well as the best team.
“We all work very hard, and we hope to have that opportunity to lift the trophy in 2025.
“I would say we are fairly humble, but we also want to be the best, and we say that openly.”
