Twickenham speedster Erika breaks cover to give England a rallying cry ahead of their Rugby World Cup opener against Argentina – 41 years after she stunned the world by leaping onto the pitch in 1982

England’s most famous rugby speedster has broken cover to cheer on the men in white and urge them to “do their job” against Argentina tonight.

Erika Roe, 66, has given a rare interview to the Mail in a bid to lift the spirits of Steve Borthwick’s men ahead of their World Cup opener.

Ms Roe stunned the Twickenham crowd during a Test match between England and Australia in 1982 when she ran onto the pitch topless.

Her pitch invasion ended with her covered in a Union flag and a policeman’s helmet, and was described as “perhaps the most famous of all streaks”.

It catapulted the bookseller to stardom, but a few years later she moved to Portugal to escape the spotlight and run a farm with her Dutch ex-husband.

Twickenham speedster Erika Roe, 66, urged the England team to “do their job” ahead of their Rugby World Cup game against Argentina.

After hearing about England’s difficulties with recent defeats to Fiji and Wales, Ms Roe advocated rallying the team and changing course in Marseille tomorrow.

“These young men just have to go out there, hold their balls in their hands and agree that they’re just going to do it,” she said provocatively from her home in the Alentejo.

“I’m just a girl who suffered a strike on a rugby field a hundred years ago. “None of these kids will know much about me, but all I can say is that I’ve spent the last 40 years plodding along through my life – and that’s what they need to do.”

Ms Roe isn’t the only celebrity cheering her on: the Princess of Wales is flying in to support the team.

Meanwhile, Prince William travels to Bordeaux tomorrow for Wales’ crucial opening game against Georgia.

England will be without captain Owen Farrell and specialist number eight Billy Vunipola tomorrow after both were suspended for dangerous tackling. But Ms Roe, who will watch the game at home in Portugal, continues to support them in getting the job done. “You have to say, ‘I will do it, I will do it.’ “You can’t let anyone get in your way, you just have to move forward, be a team, get it done and believe in yourself.”

Ms Roe grew up in Suffolk, where she attended boarding school. She was working in a bookshop at the age of 24 when she decided to take off her top in front of 60,000 spectators at Twickenham.

She said: “It was completely unplanned.” I took off my top and bra and ran across the floor with a cigarette in my mouth before being chased by a police officer and dragged to the police station.

“It gave my life a 360 degree turn.” “The phone didn’t stop ringing for three years.”

Ms Roe famously stormed onto the pitch wearing a Union flag and a policeman’s helmet

Describing her love of the game, she said: “The rugby world is absolutely delicious.” It’s full of very gentlemanly men – not like football.

“Before my streak, I was at boarding school and shouted loudly in front of all sorts of rugby teams.”

After moving to Portugal, her marriage unfortunately failed after 17 years and she had to raise three children as a single mother.

And for Ms Roe, England’s first World Cup opponents have added significance. She said: “Argentina is my worst enemy because my husband left me for an Argentinian. “I’m really excited about beating them at the moment.”

The last time she broke cover was nearly a decade ago to appear as a contestant on Bear Gryll’s reality show The Island.