England Women’s National Performance Squad Announced Ahead of Clash with France
(June 16, 2023 – BBC Sport)
In preparation for the mid-season international against France in Toulouse on June 29th, England Women’s Head Coach Stuart Barrow has named a 45-player National Performance squad. The squad features a strong representation from newly-crowned Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup champions St Helens, with Player of the Match Zoe Harris included for the first time since the 2022 Rugby League World Cup, along with 15 of her teammates.
The remaining 30 players in the National Performance Squad are drawn from five Betfred Women’s Super League sides – Featherstone Rovers, Huddersfield Giants, Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, and champions York Valkyrie.
Ahead of the France clash, training sessions will take place next Wednesday (June 19th) involving squads representing Lancashire and Yorkshire. These teams will consist of senior England players as well as those currently part of the Knights program. The Lancashire and Yorkshire sides will then face off in a War of the Roses fixture at Dewsbury Rams on Saturday, June 22nd, before Barrow finalizes his squad to take on France.
“Firstly, I must congratulate both Leeds Rhinos and St Helens for producing another brilliant Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium last weekend,” said England Women Head Coach, Stuart Barrow. “The record crowd and number of viewers watching at home is a testament to the high-quality Women’s Rugby League on display that day.”
Barrow added, > “With the mid-season international on the horizon, it’s time for us to continue that positive momentum, and I’m looking forward to linking up with our Lancashire and Yorkshire based squads for our War of the Roses game next Saturday. The same fixture last Autumn was extremely competitive and a good learning experience for both players and staff.”
The England Women’s match against France will kick off at 3:30 pm local time on June 29th, followed by the men’s international at 6 pm. Both matches will be streamed live on Super League+, Rugby League’s global, direct-to-consumer streaming service.
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