The 2025 Rugby World Cup winner has won three PWR titles with Gloucester-Hartpury and earned the most recent of her 93 England caps in the 55-12 win over USA in October.

Hunt, who attended Dene Magna Community School, believes there are many more potential elite athletes in the area yet to be discovered – if they get sufficient chances to showcase their talent.

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“There is not a lot of opportunity for young boys and girls out in the Forest,” she said.

“There aren’t a lot of places that you can go or different sports that you can access. It’s a real effort to be able to get people around.

“My mum, bless her, used to drive me an hour and back to play netball three or four times a week.

“There are so many incredible athletes out there who are almost untouched, who are not found because of opportunities and access.

“Showing people what’s possible from a small area is massive."

Hunt’s early days on the rugby pitch were spent at Drybrook RFC and grassroots clubs now have the chance to access vital funding through the Allianz All Together Sports Fund.

The programme offers recreational sports clubs the chance to apply for grants of £1,000 to £5,000 - with their rugby-specific round now open across the UK.  

Clubs have until November 21 to apply for grants, which could go towards energy costs, kit, club fees and travel.

Speaking ahead of England’s men’s Nations Championship victory against Australia at Allianz Stadium, Hunt reflected on her entry into the sport which has made her a household name.

She said: “I got to play with my sisters, Emma and Jess. We played together a little bit when we were younger, that’s the fondest memory.

“There wasn’t really an opportunity to play, we didn’t really have a girls' team - we had to join up with Thornbury RFC, to create Thornbrook or Drybury. We weren’t sure of the name because there weren’t that many people.

“An amount like £5,000 is a vast amount of money for grassroots clubs. Sometimes there are not many opportunities for young girls to get involved because clubs may not have the volunteers, or the kit, or access.

“There’s so many ways for clubs to spend this money and hopefully it brings more people into the game."