Women's rugby league

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Not to be confused with Women's rugby union.
Women's rugby league
Highest governing bodyRugby League International Federation
NicknamesRugger, Footy, The Greatest Game of All
Characteristics
ContactFull Contact
Team membersThirteen
Mixed-sexSingle
TypeTeam sport, Outdoor
EquipmentRugby ball
VenueRugby league playing field

Women's Rugby League is the female-only version of the game rugby league football. There are currently clubs for female-only participation running in Australia, Great Britain, and New Zealand which are overseen by the various individual organisations of those separate countries and internationally by the Women & Girls Rugby League.

At international level Australia, France, England and New Zealand compete on a regular basis with a Women's Rugby League World Cup held at a regular interval after first being established in 2000.

Governing Bodies[edit]

Women's & Girls Rugby League[edit]

The Women & Girls Rugby League is the international governing body of women's rugby league and was established in 2000 in conjunction with the first Women's Rugby League World Cup.

The organisation currently oversees the running of the international game for women's rugby league and helps organize rugby league domestically in several countries.

Australian Women's Rugby League[edit]

Main article: Women's rugby league in Australia

The Australian Women's Rugby League is the governing body of female rugby league in Australia and other parts of Oceania and was established in 1993. It currently falls under the Australian Rugby League which oversees its running and management but it took the association five years to be recognized by the ARL.

The AWRL is run at state level by its own governing organisations in the Queensland Women's Rugby League, New South Wales Women's Rugby League, Canberra Women's Rugby League and the Western Australian Women's Rugby League. The main women's competitions in Australia are the National Rugby League Women's Premiership, Sydney Metropolitan Women's Rugby League and the Brisbane and District Women's Rugby League.

At international level the Australian Women's side is commonly referred to as the Australian Jillaroos.

Rugby Football League[edit]

The RFL Women's Rugby League is the governing body of female rugby league in the United Kingdom; although some activity is run by the independent Women's Amateur Rugby League Association, originally established in 1985. With summer rugby becoming increasingly popular, the appeal of WARLA has waned, with the RFL running the largest women's rugby league competition in the world.

At the beginning of the 2006 season there were between thirty and forty female only rugby league clubs running in England not including clubs that have teams of both sexes.[1] The majority of these clubs are located in Lancashire and Yorkshire.

The RFL Women's Rugby League is a competition for female rugby league teams. The Women's Super League began in 2017 as the elite women's rugby league competition in the United Kingdom.

At international level the Women's England side is commonly referred to as the Great Britain Lionesses In 2006, the RFL announced that after the 2007 All Golds Tour the Great Britain team would no longer compete on a regular basis, and that players would be able to represent England, Wales and Scotland at Test level. It is planned that the Great Britain team will come together in future only for occasional tours.

New Zealand Rugby League[edit]

Women's rugby league in New Zealand is controlled by the New Zealand Rugby League. The national side is called the Kiwi Ferns. The NZRL Women's National Tournament is a competition for female rugby league teams. Women have been playing rugby in New Zealand since the 19th century.[2]

Australian active competitions[edit]

Each state has their own games and competitions.

One of the most anticipated games on a national level is the State of Origin. This series is played by Queensland and New South Wales. The series only consists of three matches. Each match is played at a different ground, including the ANZ Stadium in Sydney and the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The team who wins two of the three games wins the State of Origin cup.

International[edit]

The following list of nations that compete, or have competed, internationally in women's rugby league. Table last updated: 29 March 2022.

Nation Moniker RLIF
Rank[3]		 Venues Matches Record Debut
H A N W D L For Agst Ord Date Opponent Report
 Argentina — 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 48 19 25/11/2018  Brazil [4]
 Australia Jillaroos 1 28 18 7 53 29 0 24 1313 833 1 1/07/1995  New Zealand [5] [6]
 Brazil Amazonas 15 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 48 0 19 25/11/2018  Argentina [4]
 Canada Ravens 6 1 4 2 7 4 0 3 134 224 17 16/11/2017  New Zealand [7] [8]
 Cook Islands Moana 12 0 3 6 9 3 1 5 112 340 6 28/09/2003  New Zealand [9]
 England Lionessess 3 8 18 7 33 22 1 10 900 410 11 7/07/2007  France [10]
 Fiji Bulikula 9 2 0 1 3 1 0 2 28 120 4 20/09/1998  Australia [11] [12]
 France 5 13 7 6 26 3 1 22 252 884 11 7/07/2007  England [10]
 Great Britain Lionessess — 4 10 4 18 7 1 10 245 338 3 21/07/1996  Australia [13] [14]
 Greece 16 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 4 40 23 14/09/2019  Turkey [15] [16]
 Ireland 14 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 26 24 25 17/10/2021  Wales [17]
 Italy 8 1 3 0 4 2 0 2 62 78 15 25/02/2017  Lebanon [18]
 Lebanon Junipers 17 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 22 15 25/02/2017  Italy [18]
 New Zealand Kiwi Ferns 2 22 16 13 51 43 0 8 1824 471 1 1/07/1995  Australia [6] [5]
New Zealand Māori Wahine Toa — 7 5 1 13 6 0 7 238 274 5 1/10/2002  New Zealand [19]
 Niue — 0 1 5 6 1 1 4 62 220 8 30/09/2003 New Zealand Māori [9]
 Pacific Islands — 0 1 4 5 2 0 3 76 164 13 6/11/2008  New Zealand [20]
 Papua New Guinea Orchids 4 2 0 4 6 1 0 5 46 164 17 16/11/2017  England [21] [22]
 Russia — 0 1 4 5 2 0 3 50 220 13 6/11/2008  England [23]
 Samoa Fetu Samoa 11 1 3 10 14 6 0 8 300 368 6 28/09/2003  Great Britain [9]
 Serbia 7 2 1 0 3 0 0 3 10 86 22 22/06/2019  Italy [24] [25]
 Tokelau — 0 1 5 6 2 0 4 96 170 8 30/09/2003  Cook Islands [9]
 Tonga Hakula Tonga — 0 0 11 11 1 1 9 134 358 8 30/09/2003  Samoa [9]
 Turkey 10 3 0 0 3 2 0 1 62 72 21 5/01/2019  France [26] [27]
 United States Redtails — 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 10 42 26 16/04/2022  Canada [28]
 Wales 13 1 1 0 2 0 0 2 24 86 24 25/06/2021  England [29] [30]

Notes:

  • The tally of For and Against points for England and France excludes two test matches, one in 2007 and the other in 2008.
  • A Great Britain women's rugby league team toured France in 1989 but played only touch football games against French women. They did play a tackle match against a men's Under 21 team, losing 4-10.[31][32]
  • There is a possibility that women's internationals were played between Great Britain and France between the 2000 and 2003 World Cups. The 2000 World Cup programme lists previous Test series occurring between 1995 and 1999.[32] An article previewing the 2007 match between England and France mentions that it was the first international to be played by an English or Great Britain side since the 2003 World Cup.[10]
  • Jamaica played in a Nines tournament in 2019 (with Canada and Ontario teams), but is yet to play in a full international.

The following played tour, nines or other international matches prior to making a Test or World Cup debut.

Nation Moniker Match debut Format
Canada Ravens 2017 vs South Sydney colours.svg Corrimal Cougars Tour Match
Great Britain Lionessess 1996 vs City colours.svg Sydney Select XIII Tour Match
Jamaica Lady Reggae Warriors 2019 vs Ontario Nines Tournament
New Zealand Kiwi Ferns 1995 vs New South Wales colours.svg NSW Select XIII Tour Match
New Zealand Māori Wahine Toa 1998 vs  Great Britain Tour Match
Papua New Guinea Orchids 2017 vs Australian colours.svg Australian XIII Prime Minister's XIII warm-up
Wales 2019 vs England Lions vs Second Team

Women's Rugby League World Cup[edit]

Main article: Women's Rugby League World Cup

The Women's Rugby League World Cup was first held in Great Britain during 2000 to coincide with men's Rugby League World Cup with Australia, Great Britain and eventual winners New Zealand competing.[33] New Zealand also won the second and third World Cups: a nine team tournament held at North Harbour Stadium, in the Auckland suburb of Albany in 2003; and an eight team tournament held at the Sunshine Coast Stadium and, for the final, Suncorp Stadium in 2008.[34][35]

In the 2013 World Cup, the Australian Jillaroos won the cup, breaking New Zealand’s 13 year winning streak.[36] Australia again beat New Zealand in the 2017 World Cup Final.[37]

The World Cup is played every 4 years. Delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the next World Cup will include eight teams and be held in November 2022 in England and will be played alongside Men's and Wheelchair tournaments.[38]

The following World Cup will be played in France in 2025 with sixteen participating teams, and be held alongside Men's, Wheelchair and a Youth World Cup.[39][40]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Women's rugby league". news.bbc.co.uk. 7 September 2005. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  2. ^ "History". www.communityrugby.co.nz. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  3. ^ "World Rankings - Women". IRL. 10 Dec 2021. Retrieved 11 Dec 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Brazil win inaugural South American Cups". Asia Pacific Rugby League. 26 Nov 2018. Retrieved 18 Apr 2021.
  5. ^ a b Scholes, Gary (9 Jul 1995). "NZ's mens defeat motivates women". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. p. 12. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Kiwi Ferns - Past Results". NZRL. 30 Sep 2020. Retrieved 7 Oct 2020.
  7. ^ France, Marvin (16 Nov 2017). "Kiwi Ferns blow out the cobwebs with big win over Canada in World Cup opener". stuff. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Kiwi Ferns Vs Canada - Women's RLWC 2017 Highlights". YouTube. Rugby League World Cup. 16 Nov 2017. Retrieved 30 Sep 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d e Francis, Payne (2003). New Zealand Rugby League Almanack 2003. New Zealand Rugby Football League Inc.
  10. ^ a b c "England squad for womens Rugby League International". Sport Focus. 1 Jul 2007. Retrieved 27 Oct 2021.
  11. ^ "Sport". Courier Mail. 21 Sep 1998. p. 32.
  12. ^ Curtin, Jennie (21 Sep 1998). "48 Hours". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 28.
  13. ^ Hardy, Karen (22 Jul 1996). "Brits pay ultimate penalty". Canberra Times. p. 25.
  14. ^ "1996 Aust vs GB Womens RL Test Match". YouTube. Jenny Luker. 31 Oct 2019. Retrieved 15 Jun 2021.
  15. ^ "Turkey and Greece to meet in historic double-header". Rugby League Planet. 6 Jun 2019. Retrieved 18 Apr 2021.
  16. ^ "Türk Kadin Ragbi Takimi 44 4'Lük Skorla Galip Geldi". YouTube. Edirne Televizyonu. 15 Sep 2019. Retrieved 29 Mar 2022.
  17. ^ "Wales 24 v 26 Ireland - Match Report". European Rugby League. 17 Oct 2021. Retrieved 24 Oct 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Lebanon 0 v 22 Italy - Match Report". European Rugby League. 25 Feb 2017. Retrieved 15 Apr 2021.
  19. ^ "The Scoreboard". Rugby League Week. Sydney: Bauer Media Group (9/10/2002).
  20. ^ "Kiwi Ferns v Pacific nations". YouTube. NZ Rugby League. 3 August 2017 [2008]. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  21. ^ "England 36 v 8 Papua New Guinea - Match Report". European Rugby League. 16 Nov 2017. Retrieved 31 Mar 2021.
  22. ^ "England vs Papua New Guinea - Full Highlights - Womens RLWC 2017". YouTube. Channel 7 Sport. 16 Nov 2017. Retrieved 1 Apr 2021.
  23. ^ "England women shine in World Cup". BBC. 6 November 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  24. ^ "Italy 26 v 0 Serbia - Match Report". European Rugby League. 22 Jun 2019. Retrieved 15 Apr 2021.
  25. ^ James, Honor (26 Jun 2019). "Italy's women win 1st Test as Serbia make their bow". Total Rugby League. Retrieved 17 Apr 2021.
  26. ^ "La France s'impose largement face à la Turquie". Trieze Mondial. 5 Oct 2019. Retrieved 8 Apr 2021.
  27. ^ "International Test Match Turkey vs France". YouTube. Turkish Rugby League. 6 Oct 2019. Retrieved 23 Oct 2021.
  28. ^ "Canada Ravens vs USA Redtails - April 16th 2022". Canada Ravens. 16 Apr 2022. Retrieved 17 Apr 2022.
  29. ^ "England 60 v 0 Wales". European Rugby League. 25 Jun 2021. Retrieved 31 Oct 2021.
  30. ^ Hafez, Shamoom (25 Jun 2021). "Women's international: England 60-0 Wales - 10 different try-scorers for hosts". BBC. Retrieved 26 Jun 2021.
  31. ^ "Women out to rattle bones, not buckets". Times (London). 14 Aug 1998.
  32. ^ a b rugbee.com Women's Rugby League World Series 2000 Official Programme. Harold Lacey Publications. 2000.
  33. ^ Hadfield, Dave (25 Nov 2000). "Rugby League: Hina too strong for battling Britain". The Independent (London). p. 23.
  34. ^ Coffey, John (13 Oct 2003). "Kiwi Ferns rule on league cup stage". The Press (Christchurch). p. 29.
  35. ^ "Ferns girls too strong - league world cup". Daily Telegraph. 17 Nov 2008. p. 67.
  36. ^ "Jillaroos win Women's World Cup". NRL.com. 2013-06-15. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
  37. ^ "Women's Rugby League World Cup: Australia's Jillaroos beat New Zealand 23-16 in final to claim world title". ABC. 2 Dec 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  38. ^ "Rugby League World Cup - England 2021 - Women's Tournament". RLWC2021. 1 Feb 2022. Retrieved 30 Mar 2022.
  39. ^ "International Rugby League Announces Qualification Places For France 2025". IRL. 24 Mar 2022. Retrieved 30 Mar 2022.
  40. ^ Walter, Brad (25 Mar 2022). "Fiji, Samoa, Tonga to play off for World Cup spots". NRL. Retrieved 25 Mar 2022.

External links[edit]

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