CONGRATULATIONS to the England Women’s rugby team on their well-deserved World Cup success in France.

The whole region should be proud of team captain Katy McLean and lock Tamara Taylor, who both play club rugby for Darlington Mowden Park Sharks.

When Katy hoisted the trophy aloft, she became only the second English woman to lead a World Cup-winning side.

She took over the captaincy in 2010 and now has a World Cup winner’s medal to add to the MBE she was awarded for her services to rugby in the New Year’s Honours.

Her achievement is all the more impressive because she manages to juggle her rugby with a full-time job as a primary school teacher at the Bexhill Academy, in Sunderland.

Traditionally, the women’s team sports have been starved of recognition compared to the individual events such as athletics.

Indeed, women’s rugby almost lost Katy to another sport. A dearth of organised rugby at comprehensive school forced her to play hockey instead.

Thankfully, things are changing. All 20,000 seats in the Stade Jean-Bouin in Paris were sold out well ahead of yesterday’s World Cup final and the match was beamed live to 127 countries.

And it is great to report that women from our region are leading the way. As well as our rugby stars, the North-East already boasts Britain’s first female boxing world champion, Savannah Marshall, from Hartlepool, and several members of the England women’s football team, including Steph Houghton, from Durham, and Sunderland-born Jill Scott.

They are all trailblazers but they will certainly not be the last. Hopefully, England’s World Cup triumph will encourage more girls to have a go at rugby, football or cricket. Women’s sport is coming on in leaps and bounds.