Fisher: More to come from England

There's no shortage of things to talk about when you sit down with England flanker Heather Fisher. The formidable back row player has been one of her country's best players at this World Cup but it's the tale of her patient rise to the top of English rugby that has the seeds of a great story.

The Birmingham based player took the game up in her teens and her selection for England Academy at just 17 suggested an early career in the national side. Selection for England A soon followed but three years with the second-string national side followed as Fisher couldn't quite make the breakthrough to the senior set-up.

As she pondered how she needed to better her game to make it, an offer came in from the Great Britain Bobsleigh Association to trial for the two-man competition and Fisher upped sticks and accepted the life-changing opportunity as rugby took a backseat. She explains:

"I called England coach Gary Street about what the offer was and I said if I was good enough I would make it back to the England set up."

Fisher had no idea what to expect the first time she went down the track and she was in for a brutal introduction.

"The first time down the course I crashed. I absolutely hated it. It was like going around a roller coaster without any control. We had a big crash in Lake Placid once when we were about three corners to the end - we turned over completely and I went to get out and my driver told me to hold on and we started moving backwards rapidly which was pretty scary!"

"I am not the sort of person to give up though and we stuck with it and crashing soon became the best part of it!"

Success came quickly for Fisher and her team as she was part of the partnerships that won the Europa Cup and finished second in the British Bobsleigh Championship in 2008 and in the top six of the Junior World Championships.

But rugby's lure puled her back. England were starting to get a 7s team together to compete at the first ever Women's 7s World Cup and Fisher wanted a slice of the action. She was the only uncapped player named in the squad who would go on to compete for the title in Dubai and the experience meant rugby soon became her focus once again.

"Bobsleigh was very individual, it was about you on your own and I found that very difficult whereas rugby gave me the opportunity to represent my country and have a life at the same time. We started training for 7s and I loved it. It was a really good programme. It was a great experience."

Though England were unsuccessful in their World Cup tilt, with Australia taking the title, it reminded Fisher of her love for the game and she worked her way back into Gary Street's 15 aside thoughts earning selection for last year's Nations Cup in Canada where she excelled in England's games against the likes of Canada, the USA and South Africa.

"I really enjoyed it out there. I felt I had nothing to lose and I was able to go out there and play my rugby."

At this World Cup, Fisher has excelled again. Alongside Maggie Alphonsi on the other flank she has become one of the most recongisable players at the competition with some superb breaks and tackles marking her out as a star. The flanker, who has also become something of an inspiration for fellow sufferers of alopecia, says there is more to come.

"I think I have had two solid games but I don't think I have got in my stride yet - I feel I have come a long way in a year but it's been a long time coming for me so I am here now to take my chances and play well. I don't think I was relaxed in the first match against Ireland and I feel I have a lot more to give."

"The Kazakhstan win then didn't feel as relaxed as it might have looked. We came away from that game more battered and bruised than any other game I can remember. They were very physical. The game they played was to slow us down and even though the score was high it did not reflect how it felt. The day after we felt we had been to war!"

With the World Cup getting TV attention from over 100 countries around the world, Fisher is aware that her displays are catching the eye and so too are comparisons with England's other talismanic flanker Maggie Alphonsi whose superb tackles are fast becoming legendary.

"Maggie is Maggie and I am my own player at the end of the day. We have a group of back row players who individually are all good players. Maggie will always put the big hits in, that's her game and that is what she strives on. I am more of a running player while Cath (Spencer) will lead the pack and take the ball up really well. We are all very competitive but I think we balance each other out. We work off each other and that's the same for all of the other backrow players in the squad."

The focus is now on Australia with Fisher named at number 6 for the semi-final clash.

Fisher knows many of the Australia team who were also part of the World Cup 7s side.

"We know all about those players. They are very physical, with good hands and they move the ball well. They will come at us and we've got to go out there fighting really.

"Key for us will be winning the battle at the breakdown. We haven't been as effective as we could be with the ball there and we've turned over some but I am hoping that we are at the stage now were all the little things will come together now and be right for 80 minutes."

Is there one eye on New Zealand?

"We know the scores and we know how they are doing. We haven't sat there and watched them. We have kept ourselves to ourselves because you have to focus on your team. We can't be arrogant but we've got to be confident and look at ourselves.

"People talk about an England New Zealand final but I blank that out. I can't think about the final - we have got a semi final to go and win. All of the sides left are really strong now and we know that anything could happen at a World Cup at this stage so no I can't even think about the final - it makes me feel sick!"

England play Australia on Wednsday night at the Stoop at 20.15.

Pictures thanks to Seiser Photography