Jillaroos want Vegas Test to inspire next generation

NSW and Queensland players put aside their rivalry just hours after Origin to help formulate a plan for the Jillaroos to play England and showcase women's rugby league in Las Vegas.

The Jillaroos will meet England for the first time since 2017 at Allegiant Stadium on March 1, as part of a bill that includes a season opening NRL double-header and a clash between Super League heavyweights Wigan and Warrington.

The decision to include a women's Test, which will count towards the historic Ashes series in Australia next year, was finalised after the Jillaroos leadership group met with NRL bosses following the opening Origin match in Brisbane.

With the 2025 NRLW season not scheduled to start until later in the year, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said an international fixture would ensure a meaningful contest and Jillaroos players voiced their desire to play England.

“We knew playing a women’s fixture in Las Vegas would add something special and would certainly help with our long-term strategy in America, and globally, but we also wanted a match that had meaning,” Abdo said.

“We weren’t interested in playing an exhibition game, we wanted a game that counted for something, and because of the timing of the NRLW premiership, an international fixture was perfect.

“With England touring next year it was an opportunity for us to make this effectively part of that series. They had not played each since 2017 and the players expressed their views around wanting to prove their mettle against England.

“The Jillaroos players certainly gave me some feedback about how they had missed out on playing England in the most recent World Cup and they felt like there was unfinished business.

“A lot went into this and certainly the players were very enthusiastic about the opportunity to play the English in Las Vegas.”

The meeting, during a Jillaroos leadership camp in Brisbane the day after Origin I, was attended by senior NSW and Queensland players who agreed they wanted to play England after the two nations last met at the 2017 World Cup.

The NRLW was established the following season and the Women’s Super League has also developed into a semi-professional competition.

“That World Cup in 2017 was the pushing force for the NRLW and I think with the chance to play England in Vegas we can make the game even bigger,” Sky Blues co-captain Isabelle Kelly said.

“I think it adds a little bit more to how special the Jillaroos jersey is, and we can take the jersey to another country and promote what we can do as a national team."

The leadership group, which includes former players, believe the Jillaroos and Origin teams can be used to drive growth in women's rugby league. 

As a result, the players were keen for Origin I to open Magic Round, and for the Jillaroos to play in Vegas, rather than NRLW clubs.

“We have seen that with the Matildas, and how far they have taken their team. We want to be exactly like that and be the role models for everyone back here," Kelly said.

“To represent the Jillaroos is the pinnacle of our sport and it would be incredible to go over there and be in the first team to play women’s rugby league in America.”

With English stars Hollie-Mae Dodd (Raiders), Francesca Goldthorp (Cowboys) and Georgia Roche (Knights) joining the NRLW last season, Kelly said there was debate about the strengths of the rival competitions.

“They’ve got the Super League and we’ve got the NRLW, so there’s two massive comps and we’ve always wanted to play each other,” she said.

“In the last World Cup [in 2022], we watched nearly all of the England games and they've got a lot of strike, with their halves and their centres.

“They've got a lot of great players, they know of us and we know of them, but we haven’t had the chance to play them.

“They’ve got some great athletes over there, and I think we've got a lot of a lot of strong athletes here playing in the NRLW, so we want to test ourselves against them.”