England Women head coach Stuart Barrow has called his side’s mid-season international victory a “valuable experience”, with “plenty of positives” to take from their latest camp.
The women ran out 4-38 winners in the south of France against France on Saturday, with all heads quickly turning to the Rugby League World Cup which will get underway in less than three months’ time.
Barrow, as ever, gave his honest review of his side’s performance in the test match:
“It was really positive in some areas of the game,” Barrow said, as England Women remain unbeaten against the France international team.
“There were a few frustrating parts as well, however.
“We gave five people a debut which always inevitably brings nerves, along with getting used to new combinations and new systems and structures to learn.
“And we did only have one proper training session prior to this game, so we didn’t start our best, but we did defend extremely well with the ball.
“I thought we were a bit loose with the ball to begin with though - we only had a 33% completion rate in the first 20 minutes, but we solved some problems and responded in the middle part of the game and showed what we were capable of.
“Overall, there have been lots of positives and lots of learnings.”
In particular, Barrow praised the defensive efforts of his side, who managed to keep their French opponents tryless for the entire 80 minutes of action, conceding just two penalty goals:
“One of the main positives was how we stayed connected in defence and worked really well.
“We had a camp earlier on in the year all about defence and we really saw this come into effect at the weekend.”
It was certainly a team effort to overcome the hosts on Saturday, but Barrow had a few key mentions who were his standout performers:
“There were lots of things to take from all individuals, but initially, the excellent individual performances that come to mind - Keara Bennett, Vicky [Whitfield] in the middle, and our captain Jodie [Cunningham] - she steadied the ship when she came onto the pitch.”
Barrow also had the pleasure of awarding five players their international debut - Ellie Derbyshire, Ella Donnelly, Evie Cousins, Mary Coleman and Megan Williams, all proudly pulled their country’s shirt on for the very first time:
“I thought they all fitted into the group really well - it’s an amazing occasion for them.
“They’ve made their debut and won a test match, and even though the game was frustrating at times, that is something we shouldn’t ever forget. They won’t either!
“Ella [Donnelly] and Ellise [Derbyshire] got tries on debut too. I thought that they equipped themselves really well and really added to our group.”
With the World Cup fast approaching, Barrow explained his next steps:
“We’ll go look away and review all the video and reflect on each and every performance.
“We don’t get much time with the girls now as they go back to their respective clubs and there aren’t any free weekends now, as they play all the way up until the Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Final.
“I’ll be going to Australia next week to chat with the English girls who are currently playing over there, as well as some heritage players too who come into the mix.
“The squad selection is yet to be decided and that’s how it should be.
“The women’s Super League players have a big period coming up in front of them, so that should give us some answers as well.”
Touching back on the France Test, Barrow was more than pleased with the outcome and how to move forward:
“It’s been a really valuable experience and I’m really glad we came out here.
“It’s really important to do this, especially when we’re going to go away for four weeks at the World Cup.
“To come together and mix together in a hotel environment and on the pitch - I thought we got so much out of it.”
