From Googling 'what Is Rugby?' To Playing In A World Cup

Women's Rugby World Cup - Pool C: Ireland v Japan

Venue: Franklin's Gardens, Northampton Date: Sunday, 24 August Kick-off: 12:00 BST

Coverage: Live connected BBC Two, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sport website and app.

Linda Djougang's travel from leaving her mother to recreation from Cameroon to Ireland arsenic a nine-year-old to playing successful a Rugby World Cup is an improbable but inspiring one.

Now aged 29, Djougang has reflected successful an question and reply pinch BBC Sport really she near her autochthonal onshore for "better opportunities" and went from knowing thing astir rugby to representing her adopted state connected nan world stage.

"Back location you don't really person much, but you admit what you have," she said.

"I came complete from Cameroon not really knowing overmuch astir Ireland.

"My mother put maine connected a level and I met my dada astatine nan airport, that's wherever nan travel really began for me. I near my mother behind, that was a large move.

"It could get lonely, but I'd been fixed this opportunity and wanted to make nan astir of it."

The Ireland guardant explains that rugby "was ne'er connected her radar" arsenic she grew up successful County Dublin, but she began playing erstwhile she was 17 and a friend invited her to a crippled of tag rugby.

Her liking developed erstwhile she went to assemblage astatine Trinity College, Dublin to study nursing.

"I had to google 'what is rugby?'," explained Djougang of her first naivety astir nan athletics successful which she would yet excel.

"We started playing and I didn't cognize nan rules. There are truthful galore rules successful rugby - I was offside each nan clip until my friend gave maine nan shot and said, 'when I springiness you nan shot I conscionable want you to tally successful this guidance and score'.

"I conscionable ran arsenic accelerated arsenic I could and I put nan shot down. Well I dropped nan shot and I was like, 'what conscionable happened?'

"That was my first brushwood of it and I still retrieve it very well. I'm truthful happy it happened because it was nan commencement of that rugby travel for me."

Djougang played nine rugby earlier making her interprovincial debut for Leinster successful 2018, pinch her Test debut arriving nan pursuing year.

"My first headdress was against England successful Donnybrook successful 2019 and you tin ne'er really picture nan feeling. This opportunity had been fixed to maine and I wanted to return it pinch 2 hands.

"I was very proud of myself but I was besides a small sad that I wasn't sharing it pinch my family.

"Because it wasn't conscionable nan travel of rugby. It was nan travel of a nine-year-old. It was nan travel of a woman trying to navigate life connected her own, to fresh into a world that wasn't hers."

Djougang explains that she first encountered racism while playing football.

"We were playing shot extracurricular and 1 of nan boys turned astir and said to me, 'you cognize Linda, achromatic group don't touch achromatic ball' and everyone conscionable stopped playing.

"I was like, 'ok', but I knew I shouldn't fto that impact maine truthful I conscionable kept connected playing. You conscionable understand that this is going to beryllium your life."

The 48-times capped prop has been named successful nan starting line-up for Ireland's opening Pool C crippled against Japan astatine Franklin's Gardens connected Sunday, pinch games against Spain and New Zealand to travel arsenic they target a spot successful nan quarter-finals.

"It's been a agelong travel to get there. In 2021 we didn't suffice and it did hurt, but a batch of things changed because of it.

"I deliberation we're successful a amended spot now and we are excited for nan opportunity to beryllium portion of a World Cup."

Djougang is ever conscious of her roots arsenic she intends to make an effect connected nan biggest shape successful women's rugby.

"No matter wherever you spell you transportation your roots pinch you. I transportation my dream pinch maine because it's not conscionable my dream, it's nan dream of my ancestors.

"I'll bring them to nan World Cup pinch maine - each game, each jersey, each training session. They whitethorn not beryllium location physically but they are location spiritually.

"It's nan dream of nan kids backmost location that didn't get that opportunity. When I put connected that jersey I don't conscionable put it connected for me, I put it connected for Ireland, I put it connected for Cameroon."