England name Australia-born Winfield-Hill in Rugby League World Cup squad

Australia-born Courtney Winfield-Hill is the standout inclusion in the England women’s squad for this autumn’s Rugby League World Cup. Winfield-Hill, who moved to England in 2018 with her wife, the England cricketer Lauren Winfield-Hill, was playing cricket herself in Australia’s Big Bash League as recently as five years ago.

However, after establishing herself as one of the premier talents in the Women’s Super League since joining Leeds Rhinos, Winfield-Hill will realise her goal of playing in a World Cup after declaring her allegiance for England at the beginning of this year. The 35-year-old half-back is one of four winners of the Woman of Steel award to make Craig Richards’ 24-player squad that will attempt to win the World Cup for the first time.

Winfield-Hill is joined by recently crowned 2022 winner Tara Jane-Stanley of York, as well as St Helens’ Jodie Cunningham and Leeds’ Georgia Roche. There are seven members of the Leeds squad who won the Women’s Super League earlier this month included, with Winfield-Hill and Roche set to continue their partnership at half-back at international level after an impressive season domestically with the Rhinos.

Newcastle-born Zoe Hornby is the sole uncapped player in the squad, while Richards has named 11 players from the Challenge Cup winners, St Helens. They include the captain, Emily Rudge, who is one of four survivors from the last England squad that played in a World Cup on home soil nine years ago. In stark contrast to 2013 though, when the women’s World Cup was played months before the men’s event in crowds in the low hundreds, this year’s tournament will run alongside both the men’s and wheelchair events, with bumper attendances expected.

England will begin their campaign