Why calendar offers hope to international rugby league

ABK International Series double header

Venue: AMT Headingley, Leeds Date: Saturday, 2 November

Women: England v Wales: Kick-off: 12:00 GMT Coverage: Live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, text commentary on BBC Sport website and app

Men: England v Samoa: Kick-off: 14:30 GMT Coverage: Live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, live radio and text commentary on BBC Sport website and app

England men’s football captain Harry Kane has 101 caps. His cricket counterpart Ben Stokes has played 107 Tests. Rugby union skipper Jamie George has worn the red rose 93 times.

It is little wonder England rugby league captain George Williams feels slightly short-changed – last Sunday, against Samoa, he made only his 18th international appearance, nine years after his debut.

While other sports have a schedule geared towards year-round competition on an international scale, with breaks set in the calendar in some cases, rugby league does not have that luxury.

“Personally I’d love to play a lot more – I love playing for England,” Williams told BBC Sport.

“If you look at rugby union, I’m not sure how many exactly they play in a year but it’s a lot more than us.”

This year’s Test series with Samoa has highlighted the quality within the England ranks. With a decent turn out for the impressive 34-18 win at Wigan in game one and a bumper gate expected for the second meeting in Leeds this Saturday, there is genuine cause for optimism.

Yet there is the perennial frustration in the northern hemisphere – for England in particular – that competitive matches, those appetite-whetting encounters featuring the world’s best players, are so few and far between.

“There’s no disrespect to France, but if we want to compete in the World Cups, we need to be playing against the best nations more regularly,” Williams added.

“Union is a bit more worldwide in that they’ve got Argentina and other nations that they can go to, but if we can try to get us to five to eight games a year, it would be brilliant.

“I’m not sure how that looks for Super League but I’m just talking as a player. I’d love to play for England a bit more.

“You see lads who have played for England rugby league for 10 years and they’ve still only got 20 caps – it’s crazy really. You see the football and the rugby union lads and they’ve got hundreds.”

What is pleasing for England is that the calendar is finally being constructed to give head coach Shaun Wane and his players the opportunity to face elite level opposition in time for the World Cup in 2026.

Australia will be England’s autumn series opponents in 2025, with discussions in place for the Kangaroos to revive the historic tour for the first time since 2003.

Since then, competitions such as the Tri and Four Nations have replaced genuine Test series with the Aussies. The elusive Roos have not faced England since 2017’s World Cup final heartbreak.

“I like Australia, so I’ll travel there if we do it the right way,” Wane told BBC Radio 5 Live when asked about the plans.

“If it’s here, then great. I was brought up on Australia and New Zealand Test series as a kid, so if we can do that again I’ll be very, very proud.

“We’ve got that and then the World Cup and it’s very important that we have a proper international calendar. It benefits the game and Super League – and hopefully the NRL and Super League understand that.”

The World Cup in 2022 was a galvanising factor within the playing community in Australia, as those involved enjoyed the magic of touring with the national team, experiencing new cultures and the ‘mate-ship’ generated.

I recall speaking to Cameron Munster and Jake Trbojevic at the World Cup and both said it was the “pinnacle” to wear the green and gold, fulfilling childhood dreams of representing their country.

Penrith lock Isaah Yeo has won four NRL Premierships in a row and played for New South Wales in the annual State of Origin series against rivals Queensland, but even he admitted captaining Australia would be the “greatest moment of his career” when selected to lead against the New Zealand Kiwis this autumn.

Previously, the growth of Origin to an all-conquering giant had an eclipsing effect on the international game, but the enthusiasm of Australia head coach Mal Meninga and the appetite of the players themselves has led to a more focused push for Tests.

There is a now an annual competition in the southern hemisphere, as the NRL has worked with International Rugby League to establish the Pacific Championships for men’s and women’s national teams, while Tonga made a historic visit to England in 2023 and Samoa have followed in 2024.

The canny relaxing of rules meant Pacific islanders such as Jarome Luai and Jeremiah Nanai – currently involved with Samoa – could also play Origin, thus bolstering both assets with the top players.

England’s women will finish their 2024 commitments with a Test against an emerging Wales side on Saturday, their second run-out of the season, having beaten France in Toulouse in June.

Head coach Stu Barrow is like any international boss in that he wants more time with the players, more Test matches, more opportunities to grow the sport.

And, in 2025, he and his players will get them.

Firstly, England will play Australia’s all-conquering Jillaroos in Las Vegas in March as part of the NRL’s big weekend of games in the ‘Sin City’.

Then, along with the men, the Jillaroos will provide opposition in a Test series next autumn to make it a feast of high-intensity, high-level matches – whether it is in England or down under.

“Either way we’re really excited just to have the opportunity to play Australia at the end of the year,” Barrow said.

“The Rugby League asked me what we needed to do before the next World Cup and I said the key component was ‘we need to play the best in the world’ so we know where we’re at.

“They’ve been brilliant at sorting that out. We go to Las Vegas in March to play them in the first Test and then there are two Tests at the end of the year. That’s what they will be. Tests.”

Rugby league’s international game has some way to go to catch some of its peers, but at least genuine progress is being made to tie up the sport on both sides of the equator.