Richards ready to roll with England

[Total Rugby League]

England Women’s head coach Craig Richards has said preparations for next year’s World Cup are well and truly back on track now that the Performance...

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[unapologetic pedant]

World Cup 2017. - Australia 38 England 0, New Zealand 52 England 4.

World Nines 2019. - Australia 42 England 4, New Zealand 33 England 4.

There have also been narrow defeats to the Cook Islands and PNG. Our women`s game is a long way behind Aus and NZ. With the rapidly improving standards of NRLW, and no UK season this year, the gap can only have widened.

There was an interview on line last year with the Cas Ladies assistant coach after they`d just lost for the first time in a while. He was asked what they needed to put right. "We needt` get more aggression int` girls" was his answer.

Craig Richards is smarter than the average RL coach, and therefore aware that there`s a lot more to RL than aggression. But he has to work with players who come through our club culture, where all the emphasis is traditionally on physicality.

Watching those big WC defeats, there was certainly an element of England`s defence being overrun by more powerful players. But what was more striking was our complete lack of shape in possession. Our women had no idea how to create against well-organised defences.