ENGLAND Women skipper Jodie Cunningham will not let a ‘gruesome’ split ear prevent her from bowing out of rugby league on her own terms, says her coach.

The Saints legend, who is set to hang up her boots at the end of the Rugby League World Cup, went straight to hospital after finishing Saturday’s game against holders Australia with her head strapped.

Australia's Olivia Kernick is tackled by England's Lucy Murray and Jodie Cunningham at HBF Park in Perth on Saturday (Image: Anita Reca/SWpix.com)

Plastic surgeons at the hospital in Perth, Western Australia, wasted no time in stitching her left ear back together and she was back at the hotel with the England group the same night.

The following day the veteran joined the squad in making the four-hour flight to Sydney, returned to training with her head bandaged and has been declared fit to play in Friday’s crucial clash with Samoa at WIN Stadium in Wollongong, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.

“It was gruesome to look at on the night. You wouldn't want to have your tea straight after seeing it,” said England head coach Stuart Barrow.

“Jodie being Jodie and the warrior she is, she taped it up and got back on the field and then straight after the final whistle, we got her straight to hospital. She didn't even go and see her family.

“The staff at the local hospital did a magnificent job and Jodie was back with us that evening and it looked like it never happened. Well, it was a lot better than it looked.”

Cunningham, 34, posted pictures of the damage to her ear and her hospital visit on social media and Barrow admitted he had no idea how serious it was when his captain went back on the field with her head strapped up.

Jodie Cunningham's split ear and the repair work by plastic surgeons at hospital in Perth, Western Australia (Image: Jodie Cunningham - Instagram)

Jodie Cunningham in hospital in Perth (Image: Jodie Cunningham - Instagram)

“It shows everything about her character, but more importantly about her want and desire to represent her country, but also represent this group we've got here,” said Barrow.

“She feels it's a special group we've got here, so she wants to be part of that, and she wasn't prepared to give that up as bad as the injury was.

“I was up in the box, and when she came back out of the changing rooms and went straight on the pitch with the strap around the head, I just thought she'd had a little head cut.

“So I didn't even consider that it was a lot more serious than that. She just rushed on and carried on for the rest of the game.

“And then when we got back in the changing room afterwards, I asked where's Jodie? I then got told she had to go straight to hospital.

“We were sent photos from the hospital, so we all had a good look at it.

“We waited up for her at the hotel. And when she came back, she was just like ‘Right, we travel tomorrow, we get to Sydney, let's go’.

“So, that just says everything about her, she's a warrior, always has been, and will continue to be so for this game going forward.

“It was like, I want to go out on my own terms and, a split ear isn't going to ruin that for me.

“She’s just a born winner, always has been from the very early days at community rugby with Thatto Heath all the way through to St Helens.

“She’s always been an out-and-out winner and she won't want to go off with an injury stopping her, she'll want to go out on her own terms.”

England Women head coach Stuart Barrow (Image: Peter Keleman/SWpix.com)

Leading up to the game against Australia, Cunningham was revealed to have been nominated for the newly created International Rugby League Hall of Legends.

So in terms of her legacy, when will we be able to judge just how important she's been to women's rugby league in England?

“I think we can judge it right now in this moment in time. You mention women's rugby league in England and you mention Jodie Cunningham,” said Barrow.

“The most capped player we've ever had, leads by example, fourth world cup, mentoring the youngsters here as she's a lot older than a lot of people here. But she still makes sure that they're looked after, they're her number one priority.

“And for those young girls experiencing the first world cup, to have someone like that in a leadership capacity and just being around them and someone they can talk to, her legacy will live on for a long time.

And I'd be surprised if there's any player ever passes her caps record for an extremely long time as well.

“Hall of Legends doesn't even do it justice from my point of view. I think she's an absolute legend.”