Tatyana Heard: 'If you put too much pressure on yourself it inhibits you'

England Head Coach John Mitchell’s Rugby World Cup squad for the upcoming tournament includes an impressive combined 1,374 international caps.

Tatyana Heard was one of the 32 players to be selected and added her 29 international appearances to that number.

The Gloucester Hartpury and Red Roses centre was on the bench for England’s first World Cup warm-up match last weekend against Spain, a team ranked 12 places below them, and reached the 30 cap mark in the 97-7 victory.

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

With a third PWR trophy in her club’s silverware cabinet, a healthy amount of caps under her belt and with England currently on a 26 match winning streak, things are looking rosy for the Red Rose.

“The last few weeks have been good,” Heard begins. “There’s been a lot of hard work gone into everything we’ve been doing but a real highlight for me was our trip to Treviso (Italy). It was an incredible experience for us to see the area, be somewhere new and in a different training environment.

“It was so refreshing. The hard work didn’t stop just because we’d gone abroad – it was probably one of our hardest weeks. To be able to work hard and enjoy everything else outside of being on the pitch as well was great, the feelings are pretty good in camp at the moment”.

When asked what her favourite part of the trip was, Heard didn’t hesitate. “The prosecco tour! It’s something we’ve never done before as a squad. We do a lot of bonding activities, but we don’t tend to go to many places where we get to dress up nice, completely switch off from rugby – that was a really cool moment and to be able to do that with all the girls really changed the dynamic.”

And switching back to rugby, the potential centre partnership between herself and Meg Jones could be an exciting time for English fans if both are selected in the first game of the tournament against the USA.

Already having experience playing together in the Grand Slam decider against France in this year’s Women’s Six Nations, Heard’s steadiness blended well with Jones’s dynamic flair on the field. That tactical balance allowed them to adapt to different game plans – holding structure or probing gaps when needed.

Jones ensures mid game communication, defensive resets, and momentum shifts with her commanding voice on and off the pitch. Heard organises around contact zones and carries the defensive line.

“I think for me, I want to be physical, I want to bring my power game into every game for England so that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to improve all round. Obviously pre-season is the perfect time to get fitter, get stronger and I think that’s definitely something I’ve tried to focus on but equally, my skillset to make sure that I can still just distribute and move the ball.”

If England field the dynamic duo as a centre pairing again, they’d bring a tested midfield partnership – a blend of calm, structure and spirited leadership, reinforced by mutual understanding on phases. Very exciting.

The key to playing the game well, according to Heard, is enjoyment.

“Enjoy it, there’s no point if you don’t have fun and that’s what made me love rugby so much. I just had some freedom and did something that I loved. That love then grew and grew and I ended up being alright at it.

“I think if you put too much pressure on yourself (I know I’m still guilty of that), it inhibits you and it definitely holds back your game. You don’t then have the confidence and the freedom to do exactly what you want to do so for me, it’s about making sure you enjoy it and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to do more”.

After the Lionesses’ European success recently, Heard and the Red Roses squad are raring to go ahead of the World Cup with the dream of emulating the success the Lionesses have had in recent international tournaments.

“I’m so excited for a home World Cup! I think looking back to 2022, we saw what the Lionesses did and it’s amazing that it’s still a solid memory in my mind even after three years.

“It’s something I want to go out and achieve. We want to be there, pushing those boundaries, just like they did and inspiring everyone around the nations.”