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

Linda Djougang’s journey from leaving her mother to travel from Cameroon to Ireland as a nine-year-old to playing in a Rugby World Cup is an unlikely but inspiring one.

Now aged 29, Djougang has reflected in an interview with BBC Sport how she left her native land for “better opportunities” and went from knowing nothing about rugby to representing her adopted country on the international stage.

“Back home you don’t really have much, but you appreciate what you have”, she said.

“I came over from Cameroon not really knowing much about Ireland.

” My mother put me on a plane and I met my dad at the airport, that’s where the journey really began for me. I left my mother behind, that was a big move.

“It could get lonely, but I’d been given this opportunity and wanted to make the most of it”.

The Ireland forward explains that rugby “was never on her radar” as she grew up in County Dublin, but she began playing when she was 17 and a friend invited her to a game of tag rugby.

Her interest developed when she went to university at Trinity College, Dublin to study nursing.

“I had to google ‘ what is rugby? ‘”, explained Djougang of her initial naivety about the sport in which she would ultimately excel.

“We started playing and I didn’t know the rules. There are so many rules in rugby – I was offside all the time until my friend gave me the ball and said, ‘ when I give you the ball I just want you to run in this direction and score’.

” I just ran as fast as I could and I put the ball down. Well I dropped the ball and I was like, ‘ what just happened? ‘

Djougang played club rugby before making her interprovincial debut for Leinster in 2018, with her Test debut arriving the following year.

“My first cap was against England in Donnybrook in 2019 and you can never really describe the feeling. This opportunity had been given to me and I wanted to take it with two hands.

” I was very proud of myself but I was also a little sad that I wasn’t sharing it with my family.

“Because it wasn’t just the journey of rugby. It was the journey of a nine-year-old. It was the journey of a girl trying to navigate life on her own, to fit into a world that wasn’t hers”.

Djougang explains that she first encountered racism while playing football.

“We were playing football outside and one of the boys turned around and said to me, ‘ you know Linda, black people don’t touch white ball ‘ and everyone just stopped playing.

The 48-times capped prop has been named in the starting line-up for Ireland’s opening Pool C game against Japan at Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday, with games against Spain and New Zealand to follow as they target a place in the quarter-finals.

” It’s been a long journey to get there. In 2021 we didn’t qualify and it did hurt, but a lot of things changed because of it.

“I think we’re in a better place now and we are excited for the opportunity to be part of a World Cup”.

Djougang is always conscious of her roots as she aims to make an impact on the biggest stage in women’s rugby.

“No matter where you go you carry your roots with you. I carry my dream with me because it’s not just my dream, it’s the dream of my ancestors.

” I’ll bring them to the World Cup with me – every game, every jersey, every training session. They may not be there physically but they are there spiritually.