Bitter-sweet is the best way to describe the day Harlequins captain Rachael Burford lifted the club's first Premier 15s trophy.

Initially the 2014 World Champion was told she might not make it back on the pitch.

As her team prepare to start the defence of their title on Sunday, she's now hopeful to be back playing with them before Christmas.

"I'm three months post-surgery," explains Burford. "I'm in a good headspace."

After an initial "gloomy prognosis" the 35-year-old admitted there were "a few tears and probably a bit of panic.

"But I just allowed myself to wait until I had all the information and make a plan. I'm very good once I have a plan."

Her surgeon then reassured her she could return to play the next season.

However, her recovery has been far from simple, including a four-night stay in hospital as the medical team helped her manage "the pain, sickness and healing of it".

Then followed eight weeks of complete rest, until rehabilitation could begin with her Instagram account documenting her journey.

Capped 84 times by England and now a leading voice in the women's game, Burford is open that she knows her seasons are "numbered".

"I'm well aware where I am in my career and the initial prognosis indicated it would have been a whole season before I could play again - and that would have been quite a big ask.

"There's other things I want to do with my life."

Burford's CV off the rugby pitch includes being head of women's rugby for the International Rugby Players body, founder of the Girls Rugby Club movement and she sits on World Rugby's high-performance rugby committee and law review group.

While she admits the decision to retire from playing is "still to come", she's desperate to be involved in Harlequins' goal of winning back-to-back league titles.

The Quins captain describes the Premier 15s as the "best women's league in the world" and that "the amount of overseas signings shows just how attractive" it is.

Quins open their title defence at the Stoop on Sunday, 5 September against 2020-21 semi-finalists Loughborough Lightning.

Burford is under no illusion how tough the match will be and how good the Loughborough squad are: "You just shout out the name Emily Scarratt and that makes people think 'oh my god, this is going to be a tough day'."