ENGLAND halfback Isabel Rowe believes that having key members of the squad already so familiar with each other will be a benefit, both on and off the field, when they kick off their tournament against Wales on Saturday.
Rowe, who will start in the halves alongside NRLW star Georgia Roche, is one of nine Wigan Warriors players named in Stuart Barrow’s squad and that knowledge of each other could prove crucial.
“When you go into a new squad with new players it is difficult to figure out how they play and what works for them – even little things like how they react to mistakes,” said Rowe.
“When play with people consistently week in week out you understand how they play and how they are as people, so that’s why it’s good having so many in from one club – a lot of that knowledge is already there.
“But already through training, we’ve all had time to play and bond with the players we don’t play with at club level, and we all get on really well and just want to go into the tournament fresh and excited to learn.
“There are also going to be times in camp when you’re feeling a bit low, and are missing your family, so for me having a lot of Wigan girls and friends around me will probably settle me bit when they happens, which will help as well.”
As well as the Wigan providing a large majority of the women’s squad, the same can be said for the men’s side, with seven members of Matt Peet’s squad selected for the tournament by Brian McDermott.
And despite neither side lifting the league title at the end of the season, Rowe knows they still had campaign’s to be proud of – with their consistency throughout the year reflected in the call ups.
“We (the women’s side) fell short in the Grand Final and the men fell short in the semi-final, but that doesn’t mean we should forget about the rest of the season,” she added.
“Having so many players involved in both squad shows how strong and consistent we’ve been all season and that’s amazing and something we can be really proud of.”
