Key events
A few changes to the Jillaroos from the team that took on Samoa last weekend. Julia Robinson shifts from the wing to the centre, replacing Jess Sergis, while Abbi Church comes in on the wing. Tiana Penitani Gray moves from the bench to the second row, replacing Kezie Apps. And the interchange bench has had a complete refresh. I’m interested to see Tarryn Aiken continuing to hold the halfback position, I thought Jesse Southwell might get her first shot of the tournament tonight, but she will have to wait.
Team List: England
1. Fran Goldthorp
2. Anna Davies
3. Molly Jones
4. Connie Boyd
5. Amelia Brown
6. Isabel Rowe
7. Jenna Foubister
8. Liv Wood
9. Keara Bennett
10. Hollie-Mae Dodd
21. Lucy Murray
12. Eva Hunter
13. Megan Williams
Interchange
14. Jodie Cunningham
15. Vicky Whitfield
16. Georgia Roche
17. Lucie Sams
Team List: Australia
1. Tamika Upton
2. Jaime Chapman
3. Julia Robinson
4. Isabelle Kelly
5. Abbi Church
6. Jocelyn Kelleher
7. Tarryn Aiken
8. Millie Elliott
9. Olivia Higgins
10. Simaima Taufa
11. Tiana Penitani Gray
12. Shaylee Bent
13. Olivia Kernick
Interchange
14. Quincy Dodd
15. Sarah Togatuki
16. Makenzie Weale
17. Sariah Paki
Preamble
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Megan Maurice
Hello and welcome back to the Rugby League World Cup! It has been a lot of fun so far, with plenty of fans getting behind the teams and lots of colour and excitement across the venues. Tonight we have the Australian Jillaroos taking on England for the first time since that very memorable match in Las Vegas in 2025 when the Jillaroos won 90-4. I was in the live blog hotspot for that one and it was a real challenge to keep up with that many tries being scored. I don’t think we’ll see a scoreline like that tonight – both the English team and my typing fingers will be grateful if we don’t.
Both teams had extremely dominant wins in round 1. Australia shook off an error-ridden start to defeat Samoa 40-0, while England piled on the tries against Wales to win 70-6. Isabel Rowe was the standout for England in that win, with two tries and nine conversions to her name. The 19-year-old halfback plays for the Wigan Warriors in the Women’s Super League and will be instrumental to England’s chances against the reigning World Cup champions tonight.
The match is being played in Perth – not traditional rugby league territory – but with the Perth Bears set to enter the NRLM next year, it is a good opportunity to win over some fans.
We’ve got plenty to cover before kick off, so let’s get into it!
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