The South Africans always have a springbok with them when they run out onto the pitch, the Australians a wallaby and the British Lions, unsurprisingly, carry a lion.

For Megan Goddard, there’s always a dog close by. And it’s not just any dog.

“It’s my pet pug Gwen,” laughed Megan, who plays her club rugby for Gloucester-Hartpury. “She comes to all my games. My mum and dad bring her and she comes dressed in a Gloucester-Hartpury shirt!”

Mum and dad are Emma and Richard and they are the 23-year-old’s biggest supporters.

Rugby takes up much of Megan’s time, of course, and she has to juggle those commitments with a full-time job at Bournside School where she is a PE technician.

It’s worth all the effort, however, because she’s a very good player as well as being a very good place-kicker.

In addition to playing a starring role for Gloucester-Hartpury in the Tyrells Premier League, she’s also played for England and was in the first ever women’s Barbarians team that played against Munster in the autumn.

She’s certainly racked up the achievements since she started playing the game at the age of 11.

“I was always sporty,” she said. “I’d play all sport but the first time I ever picked up a rugby ball was at a county trial.

“I was told just to join in but once they saw me play they said they couldn’t not select me because I had so much natural talent.”

Those county selectors were good judges of course, but what was it that ex-Chosen Hill School pupil Megan liked so much about rugby?

“I just liked running with the ball and kicking it,” she said. “I used to play quite a lot of football but this was a bit different, I enjoyed kicking the ball over the sticks.”

And although she’d hardly played any rugby, she knew where she wanted to be on the pitch.

“I was never a forward, no way,” she laughed. “I started on the wing and then moved inwards to 10 or 12.”

So which position does she prefer?

“Fly-half,” she said. “You get your hands on the ball more and can make more decisions. You can run a game from 10.

“I think my distribution is the strongest part of the game although I have the kicking option.

“I’m not a crash ball player although I can take it into contact if needs be.”

And it’s that sort of ability that attracted the attention of England’s selectors, although it didn’t happen overnight.

“I didn’t play much rugby during my time at school,” she said. “I started off at Hucclecote, then they folded and I went to play for Gloucester Reds.

“After that I played for Cardiff Quins before joining Worcester Ladies when I was 18. That was a good move for me because I went straight into their first team. It helped me that there were so many good players at the club.”

Megan had already won representative honours – she was selected for England Under-20s at the age of 16 – and it was while a student at Hartpury College that she earned the first of her five England caps at the age of just 18.

“I played in the Nations Cup in Colorado in Canada,” she said. “Then I played in the Six Nations so that was really good.”

Just when things are going so well, however, sport has an unhappy knack of kicking someone in the teeth and unfortunately for Megan, a serious knee injury brought her career to a shuddering and lengthy halt.

“I did my ACL in 2015,” explained Megan, “and I was out of rugby for a season. I needed a knee reconstruction and then further surgery. Fortunately my parents were very supportive, they saw how low I was.”

That injury was bad enough of course but the timing couldn’t have been worse, as it was the period when the top players in the women’s game were going professional.

Sadly for Megan she was in no position to press her claims for a full-time contract, and despite being one of the more high-profile players in the game – her selection for the Baa-Baas is testimony to that – she remains strictly amateur.

“If the chance to go full-time came along I’d certainly take it, especially if it’s the same deal that the men get,” she chuckled.

But at least being amateur means that she can do her own thing and that involves going to some very desirable places in the world to play 7s.

“I’ve played in invitational tournaments all over,” she said. “Tobago, Vegas, Valencia, Croatia, Brazil.”

Not that she’s given up on another England call-up. “It’s not the most important thing in my life at the moment,” she said, “but you never say never.”

To have any chance of earning a recall she’ll need to keep performing well for Gloucester-Hartpury of course and, just as importantly, staying fit.

That’s not easy in a sport where injury can sometimes be just one unfortunate tackle away.

And although it’s rough and tough, Megan says her parents, with whom she lives in Churchdown, are not worried about her going toe-to-toe with the best players in the land.

“They’re not very sympathetic,” she chuckled. “They know injuries are part of the game. Luckily I’m not one who bruises easily. I do feel sore after games but the ice baths at Hartpury certainly help.”

That’s good news of course, especially for the girls at Old Richians Rugby Club where she coaches.

“I’m either training, coaching or playing just about every day of the week,” said Megan.

Playing for Gloucester-Hartpury takes her all over the country – to Darlington, Newcastle, Allianz Park and Sixways – and she is part of a sport that is growing all the time.

“Definitely,” she said. “You only have to look at the success of the recent Women’s World Cup. Women’s rugby is the fastest growing team sport.”

And Megan Goddard is very much a big part of it.