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England winger Jess Breach has said the team are not getting ahead of themselves despite growing expectation that the host nation will claim the Women's World Cup next year. The Red Roses are in strong form less than a year out from the tournament, having won the WXV1 competition in October and recent victories over Canada, New Zealand and France under their belts. Their on-field performances and a push to promote the World Cup -- which will be hosted in eight cities around the country -- has fans optimistic England can win the title for the first time in a decade. However, Breach said the team aren't taking anything for granted, with their next challenge, the Six Nations, their main focus. "That's the next stepping stone, the next big tournament for us, and I think we have to play well and perform well there to be in a really good stead going into the World Cup," Breach told ESPN. "All of the Six Nations teams are going to have to perform well and put in some practice leading into the World Cup because that is probably the only big, big tournament before the [World Cup]." Speaking in Brighton on England's south coast, where the beach was renamed "Brighton Breach" for the day to promote the tournament, the England star said the side is embracing the responsibility they have to engage fans, but the core focus remains on their rugby. "I think we have that responsibility whenever we play in England. That doesn't matter if it's a World Cup or a Six Nations or friendlies," Breach said. "I think we have that responsibility to showcase what it's about, and I think maybe we haven't spoken about it as such because obviously it is still some time away for us that we have other tournaments." More than 130,000 tickets have already been sold for the tournament via pre-sale, with applications open until Nov. 19. Former England World Cup winner Rachael Burford, who was at Wednesday's event, said it's important the promotion of the tournament starts now to engage fans. "We want this to be the most successful World Cup there ever has been. I have no doubt that it's going to be, I know what our nation is capable of," Burford told ESPN. "We've seen the impact of what the Women's Euros did here and knowing what our Red Roses and all the other countries are going to be like playing in this tournament. It's just making sure that we keep drip feeding all the way up to the World Cup around what's happening." Burford said the current crop of players are aware of the profound impact they have, particularly on young girls and boys, and how their actions have an impact on the direction of the game as a whole. "I think our players are remarkable, and I think it is a sign of such great character in that they feel it's part of their responsibility," Burford said. "If you ever watch Red Roses after a game, they really want to connect with the people that have spent their time, their money, and their effort to come and watch. They want to make sure that they feel part of what's happening." General sale ticket applications for Women's Rugby World Cup England 2025 are available from 11:00 (GMT) 5 November to 19 November 2024. Visit: tickets.rugbyworldcup.com
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