Defeating England in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final could have enormous benefits for the game in Australia.
Described as the toughest assignment in rugby, the Wallaroos will face the Red Roses in their first knock-out game of the tournament on Sunday.
As the world’s No.1 team, England is the hot favourite for the clash at Waitakere Stadium in Auckland.
READ MORE: ‘Red flag’ moment that forced Barty retirement
READ MORE: Commentator ‘sorry’ for inflammatory Wallam call
READ MORE: Legend’s widow makes urgent plea to AFL boss
However, the Australian women have hope they can pull off one of the greatest upsets in rugby.
Speaking ahead of the all-important Test match, Wallaroos assistant coach Sione Fukofuka said a win would be “massive” for the sport.
“We understand, and I think everyone understands, just how good England is,” said Fukofuka.
“To be the team that puts them under pressure and converts that into a result would be outstanding.
“It also gives us a great footprint for women’s rugby in Australia.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of work that’s gone in to try and present our game to a younger audience. That’s starting to take traction.”
Sean Maloney and Morgan Turinui are joined by Nathan Grey to dissect the final round of the Rugby Championship and reminisce on some stories from their playing days
Mahalia Murphy, who is set to make her first start in this year’s Rugby World Cup from the bench, echoed Fukofuka’s sentiment.
She said a win over England would do women’s rugby in Australia a world of good, notably because the 2029 edition of the Rugby World Cup will be held Down Under.
“It’s definitely massive,” said Murphy.
“Our team has been working really hard this year to really put our best foot forward to perform for Australian women’s rugby.
“Especially having the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2029, that will just give the nation the awareness of our game and the support for that World Cup.”
Fukofuka drew parallels between Australia’s first match of the tournament against New Zealand and the energy in the team.
He said there is a belief within the squad that they can be giant killers.
“As with the first New Zealand game at Eden Park Test, there was a really slow build-up during the week but you could feel that energy that came through the girls during the back end, Thursday and Friday especially,” he explained.
“It started to build yesterday and you can see there are some pretty hungry girls out there to go and perform on the big stage at their best.”
On Friday, the Wallaroos announced their starting line-up.
Layne Morgan will start at halfback ahead of Iliseva Batibasaga, who has worn the No.9 jersey since the start of the tournament.
Lori Cramer has also been switched from fullback to the left wing meaning Pauline Piliae-Rasabale will slot into the No.15 jersey.
After losing to New Zealand in their opening Rugby World Cup match, Australia has since pulled off wins over Scotland and Wales.
England goes into Sunday’s quarter-final match on a 28-match undefeated streak that dates back to 2019.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
‘I got the yips that night’: Rugby legends trade hilarious yarns on Stan Sport’s Glory Days series
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
