England's Danielle Waterman confirms retirement from international rugby

England Women World Cup winner Danielle Waterman has announced her decision to retire from international rugby with immediate effect.

Waterman made her England debut in 2003 and was part of the side that reached the final in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups before eventually enjoying the World Cup triumph in 2014.

"It has been an incredible journey and a true honour to be a Red Rose for the past 15 years," said Waterman.

"Its been a huge privilege to have not only played alongside and against some of the best players in the world, but to have been part of the huge development and progression of women's international rugby to date.

"Winning the World Cup in 2014 was definitely a dream come true and to beat New Zealand for the first time in 16 years and go world number one was amazing, and to do it with the support of the Lions crowd was amazing."

The 33-year-old went on to play 82 Tests scoring 47 tries in it. She also represented the England Women Sevens team and represented them at 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. She will continue to feature for Wasps next season in the Tyrells Premier 15s.

England head coach Simon Middleton paid tributes to Waterman and described her as an inspiration for the women's game.

"She's what an England player should be. She's incredibly skilful, incredibly athletic but more than anything she's probably the bravest player I've ever seen on a rugby field and that's men's or women's rugby.

"She's been an absolute inspiration to coach and she's an inspiration for anybody that's watched her play."