'Winning the World Cup was monumental - much bigger than us'

Claudia Moloney-MacDonald on England disappointment and how Exeter are preparing for the new PWR season

- Luke McLaughlin

Saying the team comes first is one thing. Actually meaning it, and backing up that simple statement with action, is quite another.

When the England wing Claudia Moloney-MacDonald says the team were more important than personal ambition during the Women's Rugby World Cup, you can't escape the feeling she really means it.

There is no better illustration of England's squad depth than the fact Moloney-MacDonald was not a regular starter in August and September. She returned from a hamstring injury to face Samoa in the pool stage, scoring in England's 92-3 win, but did not make John Mitchell's matchday squad again as the hosts plotted a path to victory.

"We all want to have the shirt," Moloney-MacDonald says. "I see fulfilling my role as a player to be on the pitch, but that just wasn't to be.

"Mitch communicated that to me and told me what my role was. There were nine of us, more or less, that consistently supported the team and prepared them. I'd be lying if I said I was anything other than disappointed, but it's something you have to embrace."