It was a game that was meant to highlight just how much the game has improved over here as England Women headed to Las Vegas with plenty of optimism and progress.
However, that was short-lived after they were on the receiving end of a 90-4 defeat to Australia’s Jillaroos.
Whilst every England player was selected on merit and the effort was there, it was clear just how big the gap is between the NRLW and the WSL.
However, full-time professionals playing against part-time opposition is only going to go one way.
Take nothing away from the Jillaroos as they did their job but the game wasn’t a great look for women’s rugby league in the UK.
It became even clearer that whilst the game is growing over here, it still has such a long way to go, but credit must go to those involved, who are doing their best with what little they have.
For the players involved, several admitted that whilst they’d tried their very hardest, it still wasn’t enough.
In a joint statement on Instagram, England Women and York Valkyrie players Georgie Dagger, Eboni Partington and Tamzin Renouf addressed ‘the elephant in the room’.
They outlined just all of the sacrifices they and their teammates have had to make, from fitting rugby around a full-time job to paying for their own health and fitness, from recovery sessions to diet plans.
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They said: “As a playing group, we take accountability for the errors on the field but who takes accountability for the growth of the women’s game in England?
“We did the best with what we had and we are under no illusion that our best was far from good enough.
“We wish that the outcome was different but this is the reality of the gap between the WSL and the NRLW.
“The only way that this gap will ever close is if major changes are made to pave the way for a future England RL.”
This statement was supported by fellow England teammates Hollie-Mae Dodd, Shona Hoyle, Bella Sykes, Keara Bennett, Paige Travis (who is making the move to the NRLW this season) as well as St Helens captain Emily Rudge, who didn’t make the squad for Las Vegas.
Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin has also been a vocal supporter of the England Women’s team but agreed that more needs to be done to get these players in the right place to compete with Australia.
During an interview with Sky Sports, he said: “I think for people who don’t know or who aren’t aware, the NRLW is a professional competition. The Jillaroos are full of full-time professional athletes, the England rugby league side is part-time, it’s a part-time sport in this country. and it looked every bit of that.
“It was a demolition by the Jillaroos who have infinite more resources, time and preparation to get ready for a fixture like this. And I think it’s also a reality check for women’s rugby league in this country about where it’s up to, about where it sits in its development, and about where it needs to get to.
“A lot of this happens in sport, in all sports and in different competitions, there’s one-sided games and big scores.
“Was it a good look for the sport and for the women’s game in particular? I’m not sure it was but it’s just a realism, a timely reminder of where the sport sits right at the minute, the investment it’s going to take, the time it’s going to take, and the commitment we need to show towards women’s sports at the top level.
“I just thought the scoreline really was not a great reflection but it’s a true reflection of where we’re at.”
Women’s sports in general are seeing such an improvement in many areas, from attendance figures and TV broadcasting rights and participation numbers to merchandise sales and online engagement, especially following the Lionesses’ Euro-winning campaign in 2022 but players and clubs are taking it upon themselves to promote their sport to the next level.
However, it feels like rugby league in England has the potential to grow but it’s going to take a tonne of investment into the game and lots of promotion to take it to the next level for England Women to be able to compete on the world’s stage against Australia.
