Seven things you need to know about the women’s Rugby League World Cup
Australia’s women’s Rugby League World Cup defence begins on Thursday morning in the UK and the Jillaroos are ready to fire.
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The Jillaroos head into the women’s Rugby League World Cup as the two-time defending champs, but they won’t have it all their own way with plenty of rising stars, familiar faces and hungry opposition ready to knock them off their perch.
All the action kicks off when hosts England take on newcomers Brazil on Wednesday morning (AEDT) before Papua New Guinea faces Canada in a double header at Leeds.
New Zealand then plays France on Thursday (AEDT) before the Aussies take on Cook Islands in a York double header.
Here’s seven things you need to know about the women’s Rugby League World Cup.
THE BREAKDOWN
This is the sixth edition of the women’s World Cup, with New Zealand winning the first three tournaments in 2000, 2003 and 2008 before Australia bounced back to win the past two. The sport has come a long way since it was last held in the UK nine years ago. There were only four teams that year as Sam Bremner – who was Sam Hammond back then – led the way with eight tries to help the Jillaroos win their first title. The Aussies defended it on home soil five years ago, again beating New Zealand in the final.
THE AMAZING RAECENE
The Aussies will be raging favourites to make it three wins in a row, but the Kiwi Ferns have a not-so-secret weapon who can scupper those plans. Raecene McGregor had a monster year for the Roosters, helping them finish the regular season unbeaten with a league-high 10 try assists and 108 running metres per game. The 2022 Dally M Medal winner is a genuine star who could help New Zealand top Group B if they can beat Australia on November 11.
MISTRUST THE RUST
The Jillaroos haven’t played a Test since they smashed New Zealand in 2019, but don’t expect that to be a problem. The NRLW is easily the best women’s competition in the world and the players have a huge advantage when it comes to experience in big games given the bulk of the squad have played Origin. While star prop Millie Boyle won’t be there, the Aussies have five players from the 2017 squad that won the World Cup. There are also stacks of emerging stars from sevens and touch footy ready to make a name for themselves on the world stage, with Tarryn Aiken and former sevens legend Evania Pelite set for huge tournaments.
HOME HEROES
There were plenty of doubters who tipped the men’s side to struggle, but the tournament hosts have gotten off to a flyer in their World Cup. Now it’s time for the English women to take that next step from the third best team in the world to a country that can challenge for the title. The Super League just finished its fifth season, with Leeds taking out the title for the second time. While most Aussies won’t know the majority of the squad, they’ll soon find out that Tara-Jane Stanley is an elite talent. The fullback was crowned this year’s Woman of Steel and helped York reach the final.
WONDER WOMEN
Footy fans have fallen in love with Jamaica and Greece, and there’s no doubt Brazil will take that mantle when the women’s World Cup starts. The Amazonas lack experience but they will bring plenty of passion when they make their tournament debut. The squad is made up of players from other sports, but there are quite a few from the local Melina Club that is paving the way for the country’s future stars. They’ll likely struggle against the more experienced teams, but they showed plenty of grit losing 16-4 to France in a warm-up match this week.
ORCHIDS IN BLOOM
They may have lost all three of their matches at the 2017 tournament, but PNG has rapidly improved since then and will likely battle it out with Canada for second spot in Group A. They’ll be out for revenge having lost to Canada and England five years ago, and you know exactly how they’re going to play with plenty of aggression through the middle. Look for NRLW veteran Elsie Albert to lead the way as they try to bounce back from a big loss to the Prime Minister’s XIII.
SIGN ME UP
The World Cup will serve as an audition for next year’s expanded NRLW, with four new teams joining the competition. It means there will be opportunities for fringe players to put themselves in the limelight, while established stars could earn pay bumps if they excel in England. One of the big concerns has always been whether there’s enough talent to cater for 10 teams, but that myth could be debunked if we’re able to bring some international players Down Under in 2023.
Originally published as Seven things you need to know about the women’s Rugby League World Cup
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