Former England wing Ben Cohen says he “chooses to forget” being part of the team’s 2003 Rugby World Cup triumph as a way of coping with life after elite sport.

Cohen has suffered from financial difficulties, mental health issues and hearing loss since retiring and now resists being drawn into conversations about England men’s solitary Rugby World Cup success.

“You relive that moment, week in, week out, and trying to move on from it can be a little bit difficult sometimes,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“You choose to forget what you have achieved – if I can get away from that, I don’t have to live it so much because it brings a little bit of pain.”

The 2003 team were reunited at Twickenham before England’s match against New Zealand in November.

Together they have launched an initiative focusing on helping former players suffering with mental and physical health issues,, external some of which have been documented in a new TNT Sports documentary called Unbreakable., external

Ex-prop Phil Vickery, one of three members of the squad who claim a lack of precautions and care by the game’s authorities contributed to their brain injuries, added that it was important that sportspeople are seen as people rather than invulnerable heroes.

“We, with lots of other people, created a magical moment. We toured around London with a million people watching. It was the most amazing experience, but we are human,” he added.

“We have struggles, we have highs and lows and the documentary is showing people that it is all right not to be all right.

“It is about just being honest, instead of talking in a false, mystical way about how everything is amazing and brilliant. That’s not negative – it’s just reality.”