Local rugby player Catherine O'Donnell is celebrating her first international try.

Catherine O'Donnell was called on as a replacement for the England Irish match and scored the try which gave the hosts a comfortable 35-17 win.

For the 22-year-old Maryport woman the try was a fantastic bonus but scoring at Twickenham was the icing on the cake.

"We followed the men's England Australia match but most people stayed on to watch us, giving us a crowd of about 10,000. It was incredible."

She said representing England was incredibly special.

"My dad and brother were at Twickenham and saw me. When you are singing the National Anthem you look out into the crowd to see your family. It is very moving; very emotional."

She is hoping her international try could lead to a full-time England contract.

"But they don't come out until next year so I will have to wait and see. I would love it."

Catherine is trying to juggle rugby with her studies.

She is currently studying for a Master's degree in psychology at Loughborough University.

"I was originally going to complete it in a year. With my rugby commitments I have had to spread it over two years which is much more manageable," she said.

The young woman's potential was spotted at the age of 18 when she represented England U20s while playing for Firwood Waterloo.

Her first experience of rugby was actually in rugby league, when she went down to local club Maryport ARLFC while she has also spent time at Keswick, Vale of Lune.

She then played for the University of Liverpool while she was studying, where she was named their athlete of the year for the 2015/16 season.

Now playing for Loughborough Lightning with studying for a Masters degree in Business Psychology at Loughborough University, she earned her a first England cap against Canada in November 2017.

Her first experience of the Women's Six Nations came in February 2018 when she was a second-row replacement for the Red Roses against Scotland and Ireland.