THE RUGBY Football League has defended the organisation behind the England Women’s Rugby League team after their 90-4 thrashing by the Australian Jillaroos in Las Vegas just over a week ago.
The Jillaroos scored 17 tries in a game that lasted only 70 minutes. And the England team and their coach Stuart Barrow inevitably came in for some harsh criticism after that defeat, with allegations of a slack approach to preparing for the game and players not being adequately prepared when they arrived in Las Vegas on the Tuesday before the game.
“The anonymous inferences about the work ethic and professionalism of the England Women set-up are especially unfair,” said the RFL.
“The team trained incredibly hard throughout the winter ahead of what we knew would be a tough test against the best team in the world.
“The trip was meticulously planned and supported by a talented group of staff led by experienced head coach Stuart Barrow.
“That planning included booking double sessions in advance with a decision taken on the final schedule on a day-by-day basis once the team had arrived, acclimatised, and considering player load and health, which was constantly monitored.
“The squad was advised additional sessions had been booked which may not be required prior to travelling.
“Commercial obligations, including the fan engagement sessions at Resort World and Fremont Street, provided additional complications in terms of logistics and ensuring the players were fuelled and rested appropriately with schedules being adjusted as required.
“Despite the complexities the England staff were complemented by the NRL organisers around the professional way they organised and conducted themselves throughout.
“The England party shared the same hotel, facilities, and food as their Australian counterparts. Whilst there was very little downtime, players and staff were encouraged to leave the hotel and get some exercise and fresh air if the opportunity arose.”
And the RFL admits that the result against the Jillaroos has posed a problem for the women’s game in England.
“Whilst those who travelled and supporters at home will be disappointed with the result, we now have a benchmark and know what we need to do to close the gap with the Jillaroos,” the RFL said.
“It is the nature of sport that everyone will have a view on selection – some may even have agendas. But the experience of the last week surely shows that the focus needs to be on improving the strength of our domestic competition and playing the right opposition more regularly at international level.
“This work has been underway over the past few months as we look to put the next iterations of both our Women and Girls, and Performance strategies in place, which will include additional learnings from the weekend.
“We have made great strides since 2017, increasing the number of girls playing the sport and putting performance pathways in place.
“There is still much to do, and we look forward to working with Stuart and the rest of the staff as we turn our attention the RLWC2026 and beyond.”
