Wigan wing Anna Davies led the way as Lancashire maintained their 2024 Women’s Rugby League Roses supremacy at a sun-drenched Boundary Park – then revealed slightly sheepishly that she was born in Leeds.
“That’s my secret,” the 29-year-old said with a grin, after scoring two excellent tries in Lancashire’s five tries to three win, 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.
“We moved when I was very young and I’ve been travelling around all over really, mostly in Nottingham and then as a student in Bath before I came to Wigan. And you know what it’s like in Lancashire, they welcome you as one of their own.”
Davies will now hope to maintain her place in the England squad for the ABK Beer International against Wales at AMT Headingley on Saturday week, having scored two tries on her debut in France earlier this year.
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.
That was the only try of the first quarter, but Lancashire surged back with three in the space of 11 minutes in the second, with the Wigan youngsters Grace Banks, Jemma Foubister and Issy 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.
They 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.
But Lancashire sealed it when Cunningham’s pass laid on a deserved try for Eva Hunter, another Wigan youngster who impressed in the centre.
“That was incredible really, seeing the youngsters who have come through the DiSe programme and the under-19s making such a big impact in a match of that quality,” said Derek Hardman, the Lancashire coach who will resume his partnership with Craig Richards as head coaches of St Helens Women next season following Matty Smith’s move to Wigan.
“The teams are a good contrast with Yorkshire having their big middles, and that’s exciting when we put the best of the two teams together for England.”
The other star of the show was the venue, with Oldham’s Boundary Park staging a Women’s Coaching Conference in addition to its first major Women’s Rugby League event.
Squads and Scorers
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.
