Warriors shine for Lancashire in Women’s Origin
Wigan’s Anna Davies crossed twice, with Eva Hunter also on the scoresheet as Lancashire ran out 20-12 winners on Saturday afternoon.
Lancashire maintained their 2024 Women’s Rugby League Roses supremacy at a sun-drenched Boundary Park in a game played in four quarters, with unlimited interchanges and no kicks at goal – an exact repeat, in terms of the try tally, of the Red Rose victory in the year’s previous Origin clash in Dewsbury in June.
England head coach Stuart Barrow will name his 19-strong squad for the game on Tuesday, and was impressed by the attacking rugby played by a youthful Lancashire team led superbly by the St Helens and England captain Jodie Cunningham, displaying her usual combination of industry and class.
Yorkshire had struck first when the Huddersfield Giants full-back Amelia Brown surged over on the left for the only try of the first quarter.
Lancashire surged back with three in the space of 11 minutes in the second, with the Wigan youngsters Grace Banks, Jenna Foubister and Izzy Rowe a growing influence alongside Beri Salihi and Zoe Harris of St Helens.
Banks provided the final pass for Salihi to score their first on the right, and Eboni Partington – a Grand Final winner with York Valkyrie earlier this month who seemed to relish returning to her Lancashire roots – then surged on to a lovely cut-out ball from Rowe and cut inside from the left touchline for a spectacular score.
Salihi then turned provider for Davies to thunder unstoppably down the right flank, as Lancashire relished the top of the ground conditions.
Lancashire extended their lead when Davies added her second 10 minutes into the third quarter, supporting a long-range run from Rowe to pick up from acting half and gallop around the Yorkshire cover.
Now it was Yorkshire’s turn to hit back, with a typically powerful score from Amy Hardcastle, followed by a similar effort from York’s Savannah Andrade – their comeback underpinned by the slick dummy-half service from Keara Bennett, supported by her Leeds Rhinos club-mate Bella Sykes, and the graft of Hollie-Mae Dodd who has made a welcome return to England contention ahead of the Wales match after her second season with Canberra Raiders in the NRLW.
Lancashire sealed the victory when Cunningham’s pass laid on a deserved try for Wigan youngster Hunter, who impressed in the centre.
Lancashire: Wilson, Davies, Hunter, Jones, Partington, Harris, Rowe, Whitfield, Mottershead, Coleman, Travis, Rudge, Cunningham.
Interchange: Banks, Salihi, Foubister, Williams, Stott.
Tries – Salihi, Partington, Davies 2, Hunter.
Yorkshire: Brown, Hook, Hardcastle, Cousins, Whitehead, Renouf, Casey, Wood, Bennett, Hoyle, Andrade, Dodd, Sykes.
Interchange: Northrop, Sharp, Bell, Stead.
Tries – Brown, Hardcastle, Andrade.
