Rugby League World Cup: Chantelle Crowl on ‘awesome’ win for England Women and Saturday’s double-header | Rugby League News

St Helens prop and Sky Sports Rugby League World Cup columnist Chantelle Crowl was at Headingley to watch England open the women’s tournament with victory over Brazil; They now face Canada on Saturday in a double-header with the men’s team, who face Papua New Guinea in their quarter-final

Grace Field celebrates scoring a try in England’s win over Brazil

St Helens prop Chantelle Crowl reflects on England making a flying start to the Women’s Rugby League World Cup against debutants Brazil and looks ahead to Saturday’s clash with Canada in a double-header at Wigan…

It was amazing to be at Headingley on Tuesday as England opened the Women’s Rugby League World Cup with a 72-4 win over Brazil.

I think the No 1 thing was the samba band – they were just phenomenal. When I watched the game back on TV as well, you could hear it roaring in the background and the school children who were there screaming after tries.

Even after knock-ons, you could hear everyone just cheering, so it was a wonderful occasion for the women’s game, a great way to start the tournament and great start for England as well.

I saw some of the girls after the game and they said Brazil were tough. The Brazilians definitely brought it with some good defence and good plays, and they’ve got some good, strong girls in the pack as well.

But while Brazil were strong, we were a bit more skilful on the day. Brazil are still developing and we’re at a bit more of a higher level, and I think England just out-ran them in the end.

Brazil gave it a real tough go. They had a warm-up game against France and I heard they showcased a lot more than people thought in that game, and they definitely did that against England as well, so well done to them.

From an England point of view, I think we were dominant. Once we got into it and lost our nerves, the skill level came to the fore and some of the individual players were awesome, bringing that extra vibe to the team.

In terms of the individuals, Amy Hardcastle stands out whenever she plays. She’s something else – she’s a great rugby league player as well as a friend, and she stood out with her strong carries and hand-offs, which aren’t easy to take.

Fran Goldthorp was absolutely phenomenal out the back and played really well. She got stuck in straight away and I couldn’t tell she had nerves; she had direct push with her play and got a well-deserved try.

Courtney Winfield-Hill as well, who was named player of the match, setting up and getting those great tries. Her edge plays on the left with Amy and Leah Burke didn’t always come off, but they kept going and succeeded, and it was fab.

Courtney Winfield-Hill was named player of the match in England’s win over Brazil

What it showed as well is how the whole team is versatile. In the backs, you can switch all of those around, but you can also add in Vicky Molyneux and Jodie Cunningham. In the pack, you can switch Olivia Wood into the second row along with the other great second rows.

Head coach Craig Richards has got lots of different options and we’ve got amazing talent all over the field.

I managed to catch the first half of the game between Canada and Papua New Guinea before we had to leave as well. Obviously, I’m Canada-born and bred so I was supporting them in that match, and I thought they were absolutely awesome too.

The way they stood up to the physical side of Papua New Guinea was amazing and I think they showcased how strong they’ve got over the last couple of years and following the 2017 World Cup as well.

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Canada-born prop Chantelle Crowl is fully behind her England team-mates when they take in the land of her birth in Saturday’s Rugby League World Cup double-header in Wigan, but hopes the Ravens can shine on the global stage too.

A few people have asked if I’ll have any split loyalties on Saturday when England play Canada at the DW Stadium. Obviously, I’ll back England because they’re the girls I’ve played with all this time, but if Canada score, I’ll congratulate them because it’s about being a family and rugby at the end of the day.

A couple of my sisters in Canada I speak to follow my rugby and I think they know about the Canadian team, but it’s not massive over there and not a lot of people tend to tune in, so that’s why we want that growth over there and in other countries.

It’s a double-header in Wigan on Saturday with England’s men playing their World Cup quarter-final against Papua New Guinea as well and everyone has been speaking about it.

It’s going to be a great turn-out and a wonderful day for England. I think we can both take wins out of there, so fingers crossed and hopefully the girls can perform again.

I actually think this is going to be the year where England take it all – the men’s, the women’s and the wheelchair tournaments, and I’d back it if I was allowed. I’m just excited to continue with the World Cup and see how it pans out.

In terms of the women’s team, I think they bring a lot of skill and defence. They’ve got great backs and a great pack, but defence is a real key thing within the squad.

If they can defend their line and keep the score like they did against Brazil when they’re playing the likes of Australia and New Zealand, I think that will be their strongest point in this competition for them. Hopefully, we can just do it and stand out.