England v Wales: Women's rugby league ‘a million miles’ better than ever

Home crowd roar on England to victory

It was a thrilling encounter at Headingley Stadium in Leeds as England beat Wales 36 - 18 in the Women's Rugby League World Cup, with an impressive performance from hooker Tara-Jane Stanley, who scored 12 points.

Stanley opened the scoring for England, with a try in the corner, but Wales hit back quickly, with a try from Caitlin Beevers and a conversion from Seren Gough. England regained the lead, when Stanley scored her second try, with half-time approaching.

Wales face tough task

Wales put up a strong fight in the second half, but England proved too strong, with tries from Fran Goldthorp and Amy Hardcastle adding to Stanley's points. Wales never gave up, and crossed the line through Lowri Norkett, with just 2 minutes remaining.

"A Million Miles Better"

Excitement building for World Cup

The atmosphere was electric at Headingley Stadium, as fans from both sides cheered on their teams, in what was an impressive advert for the Women's Rugby League World Cup. England coach Craig Richards was delighted with the result, and praised his team's performance.

"We knew it was going to be tough, but I was really pleased with the way the girls played," said Richards. "We're still a young team, but we're learning all the time and we're getting better and better."

Women's Rugby League on the rise

The growth of the Women's Rugby League World Cup has been remarkable, with England and Wales both fielding strong teams, and the standard of play improving year on year.

Wales coach Rowland Phillips was proud of his team's performance, despite the defeat.

"We gave it a good go, but England were just too strong for us today," said Phillips. "But I'm really proud of the girls, they never gave up and they played their hearts out."

Looking ahead

England and Wales will now look ahead to their next matches, with England facing Brazil in the semi-finals, and Wales taking on Papua New Guinea in the quarter-finals.

With the excitement building for the Women's Rugby League World Cup, it's clear that the future is bright for the women's game.