Women’s Match Preview: Leeds
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Wigan Warriors Women’s Betfred Women’s Super League match against Leeds Rhinos Women. The Warriors Women face the Rhinos at Headingley Stadium on Thursday 21st July (5:30pm K.O.).
Campaign so far
Wigan head into the fixture off the back of a 48-12 loss at home to Leeds in the previous round. The Warriors sit fourth in the table, whilst Leeds sit in second with three wins from four in the Betfred Women’s Super League so far.
Injury news
The Warriors remain without a number of players going into the fixture, with Georgia Wilson the latest addition to the injury list. Ratcliffe’s side are boosted by the return of Victoria Molyneux ahead of the fixture: “A couple of players miss out through injury, most notably Georgia Wilson who has been our standout performer this year. Hopefully she’s only out for a couple of weeks. Her injury could be somewhat offset by the addition of new signing Lauréane Biville who I’m delighted to bring into the club and is a fantastic player. Alongside the much awaited return of Vice Captain Vicky Molyneux after almost 4 months out with injury.”
Squad News
Kris Ratcliffe has named his 19-player squad to face Leeds on Thursday evening:
Head-to-head
This will be the tenth meeting between the Warriors and the Rhinos, and the second in 2022. Leeds have the share of victories, with Wigan’s last win over the Leeds side coming in the 2018 Women’s Super League Grand Final.
Last four meetings:
- Wigan Warriors 12-48 Leeds Rhinos
- Leeds 28-10 Wigan Warriors
- Wigan 6-28 Leeds (at Victoria Park, Warrington)
- Leeds 16-0 Wigan
Summary (all comps):
- Wigan wins: 2
- Leeds wins: 7
Coach quotes
Speaking to wiganwarriors.com, Women’s boss Kris Ratcliffe said: “It is only a couple of weeks since we last played Leeds and there are certainly areas that we can learn from. We showed in that game that we can trouble them when we build pressure. It’s the individual errors that have been costing us against the top sides.
“If you give quality sides like Leeds such a high percentage of possession they will post points. The girls have been running out of energy in the last twenty minutes of games due to the sheer amount of defending they’re having to do.”
On the double header, he said: “It’s a huge occasion for Women’s rugby league. Live on sky and as a double header with the mens game it’s another historic first for the club and everyone is looking forward to it. We have had to request time out of work for several players and staff to be ready to kick off at 5:30pm so there are a lot of thank yous to many employers for giving the team the opportunity to compete on such a great stage in front of a global audience. The girls are really wanting to put on their best performance of the season and hopefully hear some of the travelling Wigan fans shouting them on.”
Ticket info
Spectators can watch this Thursday’s Women’s Super League fixture as part of the match ticket with the Men’s first team game. All information on tickets, including pricing and pay on the day can be found HERE. Turnstiles will open at 5pm at Headingley Stadium.
At the ground
- All public bars in concourses will open from turnstiles opening.
- The Global East Stand Café Bar will be open selling hot drinks from Costa Coffee, hot food and snacks. There is also a public bar available.
- Most public bars will close 15 minutes after half time of the men’s first team game.
All bars and food concession units are now ‘cashless’ so please ensure you bring your credit / debit card OR you can pay using your smartphone.
Watch Live
You can see the game live on Sky Sports Arena at 5:30pm! Full coverage of the Women’s game will be shown, followed by the first team game at 8pm. Read the Match Preview ahead of the Men’s game HERE.
Social Media
Wigan fans can follow every piece of the action via our social media channels and website.
- Twitter (@WiganWarriorsRL) – full match updates.
- Instagram (@wiganwarriorsrl) – half time and full time updates.
- Facebook (Wigan Warriors) – half time and full time updates.
- Website (www.wiganwarriors.com) – post-match reaction including a match report.
