Amy Cokayne: 50 England Rugby Caps Was A 'Proud Moment'

The RAF's Amy Cokayne has said reaching 50 England rugby caps was a "proud moment" in her career.

The Air Force police officer reached the milestone earlier this year and has become a key part of the national team.

Cokayne was part of the England side that came from behind to beat France at Twickenham on Saturday.

Speaking about reaching 50 caps, the forward said: "When you get your first cap, you can't even imagine getting 50.

"It seems so long away. To have made it to 50, obviously just before COVID struck, was a really proud moment for myself and my family.

"It's something that you always aim for, to get as many caps as you can in that white shirt so, to still have the privilege to do it and continue to do it, is a huge honour."

Despite the national lockdown, Cokayne continues to play as an elite sportswoman.

"It’s kind of a bit bizarre but obviously [we're] super privileged to be able to still do what we do – especially with the country being in like a national lockdown," she said.

"Our lives haven’t necessarily massively changed too much because we obviously still get to go to training and play which is kind of all I do at the minute anyway.

"I think as a squad we do really appreciate that we are in such a lucky position to still be able to do what we do.

"Hopefully, we can put that into the way we play and make it a good spectacle for people to watch."

The World Cup draw has given England an interesting set of opponents.

As well as a match with South Africa, the Red Roses face a battle with familiar rivals France and an unfamiliar Fiji side.

Cokayne said: "We definitely won’t have as much footage on them as we do for France or any team like that.

"Their sevens side, which is kind of what we can base it off, they’re growing and going from strength to strength.

"They play with just as much flair as the men’s team so that’ll be a real challenge playing against a team that are so unknown to us.

"It’s something that we’ll relish and it will be quite good to play someone new and someone we don’t get to play very often."