Despite England’s impressive record, the Wallaroos say they are not intimidated by their opponents.

Australia’s Wallaroos are preparing for one of their toughest challenges as they take on world champions England in the WXV Global Series Test in Salford on Sunday.

England, widely known as the Red Roses, are heavy favourites for the match. They have won 38 consecutive Tests and have not suffered a defeat since 2022.

The Red Roses are also the reigning Women’s Rugby World Cup champions and have won the Six Nations title eight times in a row, including five consecutive Grand Slam victories.

Despite England’s impressive record, the Wallaroos say they are not intimidated by their opponents.

Wallaroos confident ahead of England clash

Australia has never beaten England in a women’s rugby Test. Their most recent meeting came at last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, where England secured a convincing 47-7 victory in Bristol.

However, Wallaroos players believe they can compete with the world’s top-ranked team.

Wallaroos winger Amelia Whitaker, who is set to make her Test debut, said the Australian squad had come together strongly during the week.

“Obviously England are number one, but I feel like we’ve really rallied together, so we’re up for the task,” Whitaker said.

Reserve forward Jemma Bemrose, who could also make her Test debut from the bench, said she was looking forward to facing the challenge.

“England have got a strong reputation and they’ve achieved a lot as a team, but I’m really excited to embrace the challenge,” Bemrose said.

Australia looking for weaknesses

Wallaroos assistant coach Mike Ruthven acknowledged England’s quality but said Australia had identified areas they could target.

“They’re a pretty complete footy team,” Ruthven said.

“We know what’s coming, but we think we’ve identified a few things that we’ve been able to target and have a crack at.”

England set the standard in women’s rugby

England’s dominance has been supported by significant investment in women’s rugby.

The Rugby Football Union introduced full-time contracts for England’s women’s players in 2019. The Red Roses now have 32 full-time contracted players for the 2026-27 season, along with six players on transition contracts.

England also benefits from a strong domestic competition, Premiership Women’s Rugby, which provides players with regular high-level matches.

The RFU has invested heavily in the women’s game, while the Red Roses have also attracted huge support from English fans.

Last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup attracted more than 219,000 spectators across England’s matches. The final at Twickenham drew a record crowd of 81,885 as England defeated Canada 33-13.

Wallaroos moving towards full-time program

Rugby Australia is now looking to strengthen its own women’s program ahead of the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup, which will be hosted in Australia.

The Wallaroos are moving towards a full-time program, with Rugby Australia aiming to provide players with the facilities, coaching and competition needed to compete with the world’s leading teams.

Rugby Australia has also appointed successful rugby sevens coach Tim Walsh as its director of women’s high performance.

Ruthven described England’s system as the benchmark for women’s rugby and said Australia was working towards a similar structure.

“You look at their players, and they’re playing 20-odd competitive games of domestic football,” Ruthven said.

“You would like to think that is a bit of a benchmark.”

Wallaroos ready for the challenge

England will enter Sunday’s match as overwhelming favourites, but Australia believes the contest can be different once the two teams take the field.

The Wallaroos know they face a major challenge against a team that has dominated women’s rugby for several years.

However, the Australian side remains determined to compete for the full 80 minutes.

Ruthven said that if the Wallaroos can execute their plans consistently and compete strongly, they could produce an unexpected result.

The England vs Australia Women’s Rugby Test will take place in Salford on Sunday morning Australian Eastern Standard Time.