Isabel Rowe has enjoyed a meteoric rise to her rugby league career already at just 18, and is loving life at Wembley winners Wigan Warriors playing alongside best friend Jenna Foubister.
THEY SAY if you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. But the satisfaction can only grow and feel even better if you get the chance to do that job alongside one of your best friends.
So it is little surprise then that for Isabel Rowe, life as a Wigan Warriors player is anything but a chore.
The 18-year-old half-back has enjoyed a whirlwind start to her senior career, having only been promoted to Denis Betts’ first team squad ahead of last season. Being handed a debut in the opening Challenge Cup group game against Salford last March, Rowe then went on to feature in every game in 2024, picking up 13 tries, 40 goals, a Rugby League Nines trophy and two England caps along the way.
It is the stuff of dreams.
“If you’d have told me a year ago that I’d have made my England debut during the season, I honestly would have laughed at you,” admitted Rowe.
“Last year was definitely a whirlwind – that’s one word to describe it.
“When I was called into the first-team squad, I didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t everything I achieved.
“It was all a bit crazy, but even just playing at the Brick was amazing. I’m a lifelong Wigan fan, so I have grown up in the South Stand watching the men play. To be able to be out there and able to play and perform on that stage in front of the fans was unreal.
“As the season was progressing, what I was doing was a lot to take in, especially at a young age. You always want to impress people, but I got into the mindset that pressure is a privilege, and you get that pressure because you’re doing something well. That pressure is not something to fall to, you have to rise to it and turn any of that anxiety into confidence on the field.
“If other young players look at what I achieved last year, it sets a nice example of what’s possible if you put the work in.
“I want to be an example for others and be there for the next group of players coming through – not just as someone they can look to as a role model, but someone they can come to, ask questions of, and learn from. I want to take what I have learnt over the past 12 months, pass it on and develop myself as more of a leader.”
As well as making her own way in the game, Rowe has been able to witness first-hand her best friend, and one-time rival, Jenna Foubister, enjoy a similar rise to prominence.
Fellow half-back Foubister, also just 18, made a try-scoring Super League debut against Huddersfield last May and quickly became an established member of Betts’ side. While she didn’t earn international honours, she did spend time in Stuart Barrow’s England set-up, and narrowly missed out on a place in the starting 17 that faced Australia in Las Vegas in March.
“When we were both playing in the community game – me with Ashton Bears and Jenna with Orrell St James – we used to play against each other a lot,” said Rowe, who earned her second England cap against Wales on her 18th birthday.
“We both played fullback then so there was always a bit of rivalry there. We always wanted to play together, but it was often seen in games as Jenna v Izzy, so it’s nice that it’s now Jenna AND Izzy and that we’ve been able to play such a big part in each other’s journey.
“I felt a bit shaky during my England debut against France, with it being such a big occasion, but I felt more settled ahead of the Wales game. I had Jenna in camp with me that time, so that helped me feel a bit calmer.
“We’ve really bonded in the halves over the last year, we’ve got similar playing styles and we work well off each other.
“At the end of the day, I’m playing rugby with my best mate and there is nothing better than that. We’ve got each other’s backs, she knows when I need picking up, and I know when she needs a pat on the back. That helps us both massively.
“I’m a big believer in that if you’re close to the player next to you, you perform so much better, and I am very lucky to be part of a team where everyone gets along and loves playing with each other.”
But Rowe and Foubister weren’t the only young players to take to the field for the Warriors last season, with Betts putting his faith in several Academy products alongside the more experienced Vicky Molyneux, Rachel Thompson and the returning Georgia Wilson.
The mix worked well with Wigan going closer than ever before to knocking one of the so-called ‘big three’ off their title perches. They pushed St Helens, York and Leeds all the way every time they met and even picked up a win against the Valkyrie in July – the first time in over four seasons that they beat one of the game’s biggest teams.
The task facing Wigan this season was to turn that 18-10 win over York into the rule rather than the exception.
One thing the club lacked at crucial times last season was size and power down the middle of the field, and that has been addressed with the signings of former NRLW player Shaniah Power and Papua New Guinea international Emily Veivers, alongside Megan Williams from St Helens.
Remi Wilton, who was part of the York squad that claimed a second successive Super League title in 2024, has also joined, while Tiana Power adds more strength to the three-quarter line.
But with players like Rowe having a year’s worth of experience under their belts and the smart recruitment from Betts, hopes will be high that this Warriors side can not just compete at the top, but genuinely challenge there.
“Last year I went into the season having not played any senior rugby or Women’s Super League before, so I didn’t know what to expect, but now I do,” added Rowe.
“I know the physicality of the game and have put on a bit of strength in the off-season to help with that.
“By just getting that experience last year I have got a lot more confidence as well. I now understand how to play the game at the higher level now and I feel, as a team, we’re all feeling more confident going into this season.
“I wasn’t involved in the whole of pre-season last year, but you can tell that Denis is also more prepared this year. He’s more familiar with the competition and with us as players, so we were able to be more structured and consistent in terms of what we were doing from the start.
“Rease Casey came over from Australia last year and was amazing for us – the physicality, strength and knowledge she brought was great. We’ve added to that again with Remi, Shaniah, Emily and Tiana this year, and they have been massive for the squad.
“Not only have they brought knowledge, they’ve brought a real understanding of the game that the rest of us are taking on board, learning from and using it to our benefit.
“We want to consistently play to a high standard, we don’t just want to graft for 60 minutes or so, we want to graft for 80, and we’re striving to do that this year. That was maybe something that we didn’t do in some of the bigger games last year, but we’ve been working on that, and the knowledge that those new signings bring can hopefully help us finish some of those games off.
“We have also been focusing on front-loading our energy and not waiting for a moment to come along to do something. We’re doing everything in the now, questioning what we can do next and what we can do better. We don’t want to take our foot off the gas, we want to excel for the full 80 minutes.”
Having had a relatively straightforward start to the year in the Challenge Cup – beating Barrow Raiders 84-0 and London Broncos 44-0 in the group stages before disposing of Cardiff Demons 96-0 in the quarter-final, the first real chance Wigan got to show what they are all about in 2025 came as they faced Leeds Rhinos in the semi-final.
They certainly did that – blowing the two-time winners away in a memorable 44-14 victory to secure Wigan’s Challenge Cup Final debut. And after impressive Super League wins over York (40-6) and Leeds again (34-12), they beat old rivals St Helens 42-6 in a remarkable Wembley triumph.
Rowe missed the earlier rounds of the competition with a hamstring injury sustained over the winter, but returned for the semi-final win.
“Going into a semi-final the pressure is on anyway, but with it being my first game back after injury meant I was nervous beforehand,” added Rowe.
“The girls will tell you that I’m not usually like that, and I think those nerves showed in the first half because I was trying to force things. But I came out after the break and just told myself to play my usual game and keep it simple, and I think I settled into a bit more after that.
“I am just so proud of the girls. We worked really hard last year to build a foundation and show everyone that we don’t just want to turn up – we want to compete and be involved in those big games and the finals.”
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 509 (June 2025)