Australia changed Lauréane Biville’s life and career – now the France international is hoping for one more chapter down under at the World Cup.
WHEN Rugby League World checked with French stalwart Lauréane Biville as to whether she planned on playing in the World Cup in Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand later this year, she immediately bounced back with a reply.
“Of course! Who would miss the opportunity to come back home after five years,” she said jokingly, with just a hint of truth behind the laughter.
The Aussie connection goes back to 2019, when a little-known outside back from the small town of Pamiers in the very south of France made her way to Queensland looking for opportunity and to develop her rugby league game. With the NRLW competition growing after launching its inaugural season the previous year, the timing appeared to be perfect.
She spent two seasons playing for the Brisbane-based Easts Tigers, as well as making a guest appearance for NRLW side the NZ Warriors in the NRL Nines and being selected in a Gold Coast Titans representative team. However, as luck would have it, Biville was forced to return home in April 2020 due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
“That experience was the best decision of my life as a player and as a young adult. I went to Australia with one goal: play a game at the NRLW level,” the then 21-year-old said at the time.
“Playing alongside women who love to train really hard, with a very professional environment and staff, and a very competitive competition — it was a dream.
“I love hard competition and that feeling when no one knows you and thinks you’re this little Frenchie with a bad footy level. It was my biggest advantage on the field.”
About to turn 27, the Pilates and fitness instructor is looking at her options leading into the World Cup. She says returning to Australia has always been at the back of her mind, but with studying and issues with gaining a visa, it will be too difficult this year. She is instead making a return to England with Wigan, where she had stints in 2022 and 2023, before the World Cup.
“It (the World Cup) is like I’m going back home a little bit. There’s lots of memories I’ve got there with all my rugby adventures, so I’m pretty happy that I’ll be able to play again in Australia and see my Australia ‘family’ as well. For the girls, especially the young girls, it’s always good to move and go far from home to see what happens. It is a good trip, a good experience. To go to Australia is always a dream for everyone.”
A sprinkling of players from the current French women’s squad have tried their luck in Australia along with Biville, including Elisa Akpa, Perrine Monsarrat and Cristina Song Puche. Biville believes there will be a French player in the NRLW in the next two years (during the writing of this article, it emerged that French international Leila Bessahli signed to play with Wests Tigers NSW Premiership team in the second tier).
“I won’t be surprised if in the next couple of years another girl is interested in going to Australia to play in the NRLW because this is the best level in the world at the moment. It’s quite difficult because it’s not in the culture in France, especially in the women’s game, to leave your country to play overseas. It’s not like the boys — the boys are looking to go to England and Australia to get some experience.”
Biville returned to rugby league late last year after tearing her ACL and spending nine months in rehab — a time she says was as much about mental fitness as physical recovery.
“My old coach from the national team, Romain Maillot, asked me to take my time, because it was just a bad injury. It was more my mind. I was just burning out. It was extremely complicated at this moment for me — mentally and physically — I was exhausted. We had a big chat together, and he said what you need now is to rest. This is a sign for you to have a rest.”
After winning the final of the Coupe de France Elite 1 with RC Lescure Arthès XIII over clear favourites Déesses Catalanes, Biville attended the first French women’s squad camp under new coach Alan Walsh. They will look to improve on the 2021 World Cup results, which saw ‘the Chanticleers’ unable to manage a victory in the group stage, losing to Australia, New Zealand and Cook Islands.
The 2026 World Cup draw gods have been a little bit kinder and, while they will face New Zealand again, they have what would be considered winnable matches in Pool B against Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
“We talked about that (going through to the finals stage) in camp, and that’s the main goal. We know against New Zealand it’s going to be a tough game because we’ve played them before in the last World Cup, so we know how they play and how they are. I don’t think our goal is to win against New Zealand, just to take a bit of experience from it. But yeah, we’re looking to do something against Fiji and PNG.”
“I just wanted to play another World Cup just to feel those feelings again. It’s something that does not happen to everyone. It’s just a unique moment. I feel like the first World Cup (2021) was a discovery for me, because it was bright and new. I was feeling all these emotions and playing nations like Cook Islands and New Zealand for the first time. I just want to live all these moments again, to create more memories, and just give myself a second chance to live a World Cup. As I said, it’s just a unique moment.”
France are in Group B of the 2026 World Cup with Fiji, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. They will play Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby on 17th October, New Zealand in Christchurch on 25th October and Fiji on the Gold Coast on 31st October.
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 520 (May 2026)