Women's rugby league explained

Union:International Rugby League
Nickname:League, RL, rugby, rugby XIII (used throughout Europe)
League, footy, football (used throughout Oceania)
Contact:Full Contact
Team:Thirteen
Mgender:Single
Category:Team sport, Outdoor
Equipment:Rugby ball
Venue:Rugby league playing field

Women's rugby league is the female-only version of rugby league.

The sport has growing more popular in Australia, France, Great Britain, and New Zealand. These countries regularly compete in the Women's Rugby League World Cup which has been in operation since 2000.

Governing bodies

International Rugby League

As with men's rugby league, the international game and national governing bodies are overseen by the International Rugby League.

National bodies

Australian Women's Rugby League

See main article: Women's rugby league in Australia. The Australian Rugby League Commission and National Rugby League are the governing bodies of female rugby league in Australia.

From its establishment in 1993, the Australian Women's Rugby League was the governing body of female rugby league in Australia and other parts of Oceania. It took the association five years to be recognized by the ARL. From 1998, the AWRL was an affiliate of the ARL. The AWRL ran the Australia women's national rugby league team and National Championships. Affiliated to the AWRL were state-level 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.

Following the advent of the Australian Rugby League Commission in 2012, the duties of the AWRL were absorbed by the ARLC and NRL.

The main women's competitions in Australia are the National Rugby League Women's Premiership, New South Wales Women's Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League Women's Premiership.

Rugby Football League

See main article: Women's rugby league in the British Isles. The Rugby Football 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 established in 1985. With women's rugby becoming increasingly popular, the RFL has taken more control in running women's competitions.

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 began control of the female sport in 2013 with the launch of the RFL Women's Rugby League. This became the RFL Women's Super League in 2017 as the top level women's rugby league competition in the United Kingdom.

At international level the Great Britain women's national rugby league team represented the whole of Great Britain; however in 2006 the RFL announced that after the 2007 All Golds Tour the Great Britain team would no longer compete on a regular basis, favouring national teams for the home nations of England, Scotland, and Wales.

New Zealand Rugby League

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]

International

The following list of nations that compete, or have competed, internationally in women's rugby league.
Table last updated: 28 October 2024.

Nation Moniker
[3] 		Venues Record Debut
class=unsortable !class=unsortable !class=unsortable !class=unsortable !class=unsortable !class=unsortable !class=unsortable !class=unsortable !class=unsortable !class=unsortable Year !class=unsortable !class=unsortable
align=left align=left align=center 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 48 19 align=left BRA [4]
align=left align=left Jillaroos align=center 1 31 19 12 62 37 0 25 1745 867 1 align=left NZL [5] [6]
align=left align=left Amazonas align=center 12 1 1 2 4 1 0 3 68 164 19 align=left ARG
align=left align=left Ravens align=center 8 1 6 6 13 7 0 6 266 342 17 align=left NZL [7] [8]
align=left align=left Moana align=center 6 0 5 9 14 4 1 9 168 512 6 align=left NZL [9]
align=left align=left Lionessess align=center 3 15 20 7 42 30 1 11 1366 464 11 align=left FRA [10]
align=left align=left Bulikula align=center 26 3 0 2 5 2 0 3 58 152 4 align=left AUS [11] [12]
align=left align=left Les Bleues align=center 4 17 10 9 36 7 1 28 532 1252 11 align=left ENG
align=left align=left align=center 25 1 2 0 3 0 0 3 30 84 30 align=left NGR [13]
align=left align=left Lionessess align=center 4 10 4 18 7 1 10 245 338 3 align=left AUS [14] [15]
align=left align=left align=center 9 4 4 1 9 4 0 5 86 204 23 align=left TUR [16] [17]
align=left align=left align=center 10 2 4 1 7 5 0 2 136 126 25 align=left WAL [18]
align=left align=left align=center 18 4 4 0 8 3 0 5 108 238 15 align=left LBN [19]
align=left align=left align=center 23 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 10 136 29 align=left USA [20] [21]
align=left align=left align=center 19 3 2 0 5 3 0 2 106 51 33 align=left UGA [22] [23]
align=left align=left Junipers align=center 27 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 22 15 align=left ITA
align=left align=left Dames align=center 20 0 0 2 2 1 0 1 6 42 27 align=left PHI [24]
align=left align=left Lionessess align=center 13 1 3 0 4 2 0 2 88 70 32 align=left GRE [25]
align=left align=left Kiwi Ferns align=center 2 25 19 17 61 49 0 12 2036 603 1 align=left AUS
align=left align=left Wahine Toa align=center 7 5 1 13 6 0 7 238 274 5 align=left NZL [26]
align=left align=left Green Falcons align=center 21 2 3 0 5 4 0 1 106 52 30 align=left GHA
align=left align=left align=center 0 1 5 6 1 1 4 62 220 8 align=left NZM
align=left align=left align=center 0 1 4 5 2 0 3 76 164 13 align=left NZL [27]
align=left align=left Orchids align=center 5 3 2 7 12 4 0 8 182 404 17 align=left ENG [28] [29]
align=left align=left Sampaguitas align=center 15 0 0 3 3 2 0 1 80 6 27 align=left MLT [30]
align=left align=left align=center 0 1 4 5 2 0 3 50 220 13 align=left ENG [31]
align=left align=left Fetu Samoa align=center 24 1 3 12 16 8 0 8 356 396 6 align=left GBR
align=left align=left align=center 11 5 5 0 10 1 0 9 56 378 22 align=left ITA [32] [33]
align=left align=left align=center 0 1 5 6 2 0 4 96 162 8 align=left COK
align=left align=left align=center 14 0 2 12 14 1 1 12 172 466 8 align=left SAM
align=left align=left align=center 17 4 1 0 5 2 0 3 82 104 21 align=left FRA [34] [35]
align=left align=left align=center 22 2 1 0 3 1 0 2 29 84 33 align=left KEN
align=left align=left Hawks align=center 16 0 2 1 3 1 0 2 92 80 26 align=left CAN [36]
align=left align=left align=center 7 4 5 0 9 4 0 5 214 212 24 align=left ENG [37] [38]
Notes:

Women's Rugby League World Cup

See 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 the men's Rugby League World Cup. Australia, Great Britain and eventual winners New Zealand took part.[41] 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.[42] [43]

In the 2013 World Cup, the Australian Jillaroos won the cup, breaking New Zealand's 13 year winning streak.[44] Australia again beat New Zealand in the 2017 World Cup Final.[45]

The World Cup is played every 4 years. Delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the most recent World Cup included eight teams and was held in November 2022 in England. It was played alongside Men's and Wheelchair tournaments.[46] Australia won the tournament for the third time, all three in succession.[47]

Domestic competitions

Australia

The NRL Women's Premiership is the top tier national competition. In the second tier are two state competitions in New South Wales and Queensland. There are tackle competitions at a local level in several areas of Sydney and Brisbane, and in regional areas of New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory.
There are also competitions in the capital cites of the Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia and these states send teams to the National Championships.[48]

The New South Wales Rugby League has also promoted and supported non-tackle League tag competitions in Sydney and regional areas since the early 2010s.[49] [50] [51]

State of Origin is a state representative series played by Queensland and New South Wales. This annual competition began in 1999 as an Interstate Challenge with selections based on the players' state of residence. In 2018, this changed to Origin. In 2023, the National Rugby League extended what had usually been a single annual match to a two-match series.[52]

Great Britain

The top tier of rugby league in Great Britain is the RFL Women's Super League which operates a promotion and relegation system with the RFL Women's Championship below it. The Women's Challenge Cup is Great Britain's primary cup competition.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Women's rugby league. news.bbc.co.uk. 31 October 2017. 7 September 2005.
  2. Web site: History. www.communityrugby.co.nz. 2019-11-03.
  3. Web site: IRL World Rankings: June 30, 2024. 26 Jul 2024. International Rugby League. 31 Jul 2024.
  4. Web site: Brazil win inaugural South American Cups. 26 Nov 2018. Asia Pacific Rugby League. 18 Apr 2021.
  5. News: NZ men's defeat motivates women. . Canberra . 9 Jul 1995 . 9 May 2020 . Scholes. Gary. 12 . National Library of Australia.
  6. Web site: Kiwi Ferns - Past Results. 30 Sep 2020. NZRL. 7 Oct 2020.
  7. Web site: Kiwi Ferns blow out the cobwebs with big win over Canada in World Cup opener. France. Marvin. 16 Nov 2017. stuff. 14 May 2021.
  8. Web site: Kiwi Ferns Vs Canada - Women's RLWC 2017 Highlights. 16 Nov 2017. YouTube. Rugby League World Cup. 30 Sep 2020.
  9. Book: Francis, Payne. New Zealand Rugby League Almanack 2003. 2003. New Zealand Rugby Football League Inc..
  10. Web site: England squad for }} Rugby League International]. 1 Jul 2007. Sport Focus. 27 Oct 2021.
  11. News: Sport. Courier Mail. 21 Sep 1998. 32.
  12. News: 48 Hours. Sydney Morning Herald. 21 Sep 1998. 28. Curtin. Jennie.
  13. Web site: Nigeria 40 v 4 Ghana - Match report. 3 Nov 2023. European Rugby League. 4 Nov 2023.
  14. News: Brits pay ultimate penalty. Canberra Times. 22 Jul 1996. 25. Hardy. Karen.
  15. Web site: 1996 Aust vs GB Womens RL Test Match. 31 Oct 2019. YouTube. Jenny Luker. 15 Jun 2021.
  16. Web site: Turkey and Greece to meet in historic double-header. 6 Jun 2019. Rugby League Planet. 18 Apr 2021.
  17. Web site: Türk Kadin Ragbi Takimi 44 4'Lük Skorla Galip Geldi. 15 Sep 2019. YouTube. Edirne Televizyonu. 29 Mar 2022.
  18. Web site: Wales 24 v 26 Ireland - Match Report. 17 Oct 2021. European Rugby League. 24 Oct 2021.
  19. Web site: Lebanon 0 v 22 Italy - Match Report. 25 Feb 2017. European Rugby League. 15 Apr 2021.
  20. Web site: Jamaica 8 v 78 United Staes - Match report. 23 Sep 2023. European Rugby League. 28 Sep 2023.
  21. Web site: USA Women Trounce Jamaicans in Rugby League International. Lowe. Brian. 25 Sep 2023. Rugby League Planet. 28 Sep 2023.
  22. Web site: Kenya and Uganda women name squads for historic women's rugby league international. 15 Dec 2023. European Rugby League. 4 Apr 2024.
  23. Web site: Kenya 54 v 0 Uganda - Match report. 16 Dec 2023. European Rugby League. 4 Apr 2024.
  24. Web site: Philippines Sampaguitas Go Down To Malta Dames In Inaugural Women's International. 25 Oct 2022. Asia Pacific Rugby League. 25 Oct 2022.
  25. Web site: Greece 0 v 14 Netherlands - Match report. 9 Dec 2023. European Rugby League. 4 Apr 2024.
  26. The Scoreboard. Rugby League Week . 9/10/2002 . Sydney . Bauer Media Group.
  27. Web site: Kiwi Ferns v Pacific nations. 3 August 2017. 2008. YouTube. NZ Rugby League. 30 September 2020.
  28. Web site: England 36 v 8 Papua New Guinea - Match Report. 16 Nov 2017. European Rugby League. 31 Mar 2021.
  29. Web site: England vs Papua New Guinea - Full Highlights - Womens RLWC 2017. 16 Nov 2017. YouTube. Channel 7 Sport. 1 Apr 2021.
  30. Web site: Philippines Sampaguitas Name Squad For Malta Clash. 21 Oct 2022. Asia Pacific Rugby League. 25 Oct 2022.
  31. Web site: 6 November 2008. England women shine in World Cup . BBC . 24 April 2019.
  32. Web site: Italy 26 v 0 Serbia - Match Report. 22 Jun 2019. European Rugby League. 15 Apr 2021.
  33. Web site: Italy's women win 1st Test as Serbia make their bow. James. Honor. 26 Jun 2019. Total Rugby League. 17 Apr 2021.
  34. Web site: La France s'impose largement face à la Turquie. 5 Oct 2019. Trieze Mondial. 8 Apr 2021.
  35. Web site: International Test Match Turkey vs France. 6 Oct 2019. YouTube. Turkish Rugby League. 23 Oct 2021.
  36. Web site: Canada Ravens vs USA Redtails - April 16th 2022. 16 Apr 2022. Canada Ravens. 17 Apr 2022.
  37. Web site: England 60 v 0 Wales. 25 Jun 2021. European Rugby League. 31 Oct 2021.
  38. Web site: Women's international: England 60-0 Wales - 10 different try-scorers for hosts . Hafez . Shamoom. 25 Jun 2021. BBC. 26 Jun 2021.
  39. News: Women out to rattle bones, not buckets. Times (London). 14 Aug 1998.
  40. Book: rugbee.com Women's Rugby League World Series 2000 Official Programme . 2000. Harold Lacey Publications.
  41. News: Rugby League: Hina too strong for battling Britain. The Independent (London). 25 Nov 2000. 23. Hadfield. Dave.
  42. News: Kiwi Ferns rule on league cup stage. The Press (Christchurch). 13 Oct 2003. 29. Coffey. John.
  43. News: Ferns girls too strong - league world cup. Daily Telegraph. 17 Nov 2008. 67.
  44. News: Jillaroos win Women's World Cup . NRL.com . 2013-06-15 . 2016-06-20.
  45. Web site: Women's Rugby League World Cup: Australia's Jillaroos beat New Zealand 23-16 in final to claim world title. 2 Dec 2017. ABC. 8 May 2020.
  46. Web site: Rugby League World Cup - England 2021 - Women's Tournament. 1 Feb 2022. RLWC2021. 30 Mar 2022.
  47. Web site: Bend it like Brigginshaw as Jillaroos remain queens of the international game. Lucantonio. AJ. 20 Nov 2022. League Unlimited. 21 Nov 2022.
  48. Web site: Squads released for 2023 Harvey Norman National Championships. 16 May 2023. NRL. 4 Oct 2023.
  49. News: Go Green Machine - Leeton's league tag reign continues. Irrigator. 13 Sep 2010. Lang. Josh.
  50. News: Stage set for another league tag classic. Northern Daily Leader. 17 Sep 2011. 135. Robertson. Grant.
  51. Web site: 2015 League Tag Castlereagh Grand Final Coonamble v Trangie. 6 Sep 2015. YouTube. WesternRams. 28 Aug 2020.
  52. Web site: Sydney and Townsville to host women's Origin series. 26 Apr 2023. NRL. 26 Apr 2023.

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