Ruan Sims
Former Australia prop on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

It was all Tamika Upton who set this up. She sliced through a disjointed defensive line for England. Nice little offload at the end from Tiana Penitani Gray for the try. England are off to a very messy start.

England are under immediate pressure on their own try line.

A reminder that matches at the Women's Rugby League World Cup are played over 70 minutes - as per Australia's NRL Women's Premiership - rather than the 80-minute games that are standard in England's Women's Super League.

England are offside from the kick-off. Terrible start for the visitors.

Along with heritage player Hope Millard, Stuart Barrow's new-look squad contains centre Connie Boyd, who crossed for a hat-trick on her debut.

They also have Super League's Woman of Steel Jenna Foubister, 19, and her highly-rated Wigan team-mate Isabel Rowe, who kicked nine conversions alongside a couple of tries to record the highest points tally (26) in a single game by a female England player at a World Cup.

Barrow, who has previously called Rowe and Foubister's partnership in the halves "telepathic" also has Huddersfield Giants winger Amelia Brown among his new group.

The 22-year-old - a dog groomer by trade - scored two tries against Wales, the second of which went viral on social media after she ran 107 metres to score it.

"My phone's been popping off, so it just feels good," Brown said.

"Some of my family don't really understand social media. So they're like: What does this mean? What does that mean? But they're all really happy for me and really proud of me."

Barrow added: "You don't get many international tries that look like that, so to do that on your World Cup debut is outstanding.

"We want moments like that in our sport and especially the women's game because the one million views [it has had] puts us on the map and hopefully that gets people interested back home in our sport.

"So anything like that is amazing. I know that Amelia's been sharing a room with Jasmin Strange all week - who's a social media queen - so she's actually outdone Jasmin this time."

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport rugby league reporter

Jasmin Strange's withdrawal from the England squad with a knee injury is a "devastating blow" to their World Cup prospects says head coach Stuart Barrow.

The Sydney Roosters second-row forward impressed on her debut, scoring a try as England thrashed Wales 70-6 in their World Cup opener.

Strange, 23, whose mother was born in Yorkshire, was one of five NRLW players included in Barrow's squad to face the reigning world champions Australia in Perth.

"Jasmin joined us when we arrived here and has been outstanding. She's mixed with the girls really well and to lose her yesterday in training was a devastating blow for all the girls," said Barrow.

"It was almost a freak accident. It was a defensive session but Jasmin was with the ball, did a step and unfortunately suffered a serious knee injury. It was a real disappointing outcome for someone who has been excellent for us.

"It's affected the camp but Jasmin will want us to recover and bounce back and she's coming back into camp this evening so the girls will get around her.

"It flatlined the group and it flatlined the coaching staff but we've bounced back today. Within seven hours Jas had a scan and got the results. I went to the hospital with her last night and the scan confirmed our worst fears."

Strange, 23, who comes from a rugby league family, had looked set to be a key player for Barrow's new-look side which has altered significantly since England fell to a record defeat 90-4 defeat to the Jillaroos in March 2025.

Image source, Getty Images

Australia head coach Jess Skinner has made a handful of changes to the team who beat Samoa 40-0 in their opener eight days ago. Abbi Church has come in on the wing, Julia Robinson has shifted to centre, and Jess Sergis is rested - as is Kezie Apps, with Tiana Penitani Gray lining up in the back row.

Makenzie Weale and former sevens player Sariah Paki are in line for Test debuts from the bench.

Mention of Las Vegas is enough to send a shiver down the spine of any England women's rugby league supporter.

Not because of lost life savings on the slot machines or undercooked food at the buffet, but because England fell to a record 90-4 defeat by Australia at the Allegiant Stadium in Nevada.

The meeting between England and Australia in March 2025 had been touted as the first in a three-match Test series.

It was meant to be the beginning of a regular Women's Ashes competition between two historic rivals and form a large part of world rugby league's charm offensive in the US.

Instead it served up a sobering reminder of the gulf between the Jillaroos - the winners of the previous three World Cups - and England, who shipped 17 tries in a lopsided affair.

The sight of Georgia Roche, who scored England's only try, in tears at the final whistle and being consoled by her opponents only added to the suffering of English fans who made the trip.

The outcome also led many to believe the game in the northern hemisphere had reached a new nadir - with England's World Cup prospects almost dismissed out of hand as a result.

However, it has also delivered a seismic shift in England head coach Stuart Barrow's thinking.

Few of those selected for this tournament bear the scars of that encounter, with a youthful and dynamic squad featuring only six of the team from the Sin City debacle.

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With the earlier men's game running slightly late in Perth, as expected, this match is also behind schedule.

The teams are out and lining up for the national anthems now mind.

England women's coach Stuart Barrow has made a big selection call with Jenna Foubister, 19, starting in the halves instead of Georgia Roche.

The Wigan Warriors scrum half enjoyed a superb year in the Super League where she was named Woman of Steel.

Meanwhile, Molly Jones replaces Georgia Wilson in the centres while Liv Wood plays at prop ahead of Mary Coleman. Lucie Sams is named among the interchanges with Hope Millard in reserve.

England women: Fran Goldthorp, Anna Davies, Molly Jones, Connie Boyd, Amelia Brown, Isabel Rowe, Jenna Foubister, Liv Wood, Keara Bennett, Hollie-Mae Dodd, Lucy Murray, Eva Hunter, Megan Williams.

Interchange: Jodie Cunningham, Vicky Whitfield, Georgia Roche, Lucie Sams.

Image source, Getty Images

England's women are very much occupying the prime-time slot here and is it any wonder.

Reigning world champions Australia are in Perth to host Stuart Barrow's side.

And were loitering around the side of the pitch as England's men thrashed France 82-0.