Stuart Barrow looks ahead to historic clash against the Australia Jillaroos

Just 12 days left until England Women will play in Las Vegas and head coach Stuart Barrow is raring to go!

There’s less than two weeks to go until England Women come head-to-head against the world champion Australia Jillaroos and head coach Stuart Barrow is relishing the opportunity that lies ahead.

With the two nations last meeting back in 2017, March 1 will give England Women a chance to test themselves in the entertainment capital of the world – Las Vegas.

“There's no greater feeling than coaching your country and then to coach your country against the world champions on such a huge stage – it’s massive,” expressed Barrow.

“If I can play my small part in creating an atmosphere and an environment where the girls can thrive and perform to their best, it makes me really proud to do that.”

Barrow will be assisted by Dec Hardman, who was the head coach of St Helens when they secured a Women’s Challenge Cup and Super League double in 2021, and a wider group of staff who have been preparing for the historic fixture since early 2024.

“I've got a really good group of staff supporting me who have all given up weekends and been out training with us throughout the winter months. I can't thank them enough for all that they do.

“The squad is the fittest it’s ever been and that’s all down to the fantastic work our Strength & Conditioning team do, there’s also been plenty of early morning or late-night planning calls with the operations teams over in Australia and Las Vegas. 

And now there are just 12 days until the squad get to reignite their fierce rivalry against the Jillaroos in one of the biggest and most recognisable stadiums in the world. Following its opening in 2020, England versus Australia is set to be the first time any women’s sport has taken place at the iconic Allegiant Stadium.

“This fixture is huge for Women’s Rugby League and it's finally putting us on the platform that the girls deserve to be on, on both sides of the world. Again, I must thank the NRL for making this happen and we hope to take advantage of that and showcase our sport to the world.”

England Women versus the Australia Jillaroos will be the penultimate match of a quadruple header featuring a Betfred Super League clash between Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves and two NRL matches - Raiders v Warriors and Panthers v Sharks.

All four matches will be shown live on Sky Sports – with England v Australia kicking off at 2am UK time. Tickets and travel information can also be found here. 

Rugby League Las Vegas Festival 2025 – Saturday March 1 

• Betfred Super League – Wigan Warriors v Warrington Wolves (1:30pm PST / 9:30pm GMT) 
• NRL – Canberra Raiders v New Zealand Warriors (4:00pm PST / Midnight GMT) 
• Test Match - Australian Jillaroos vs England Women (6:00pm PST / 2am GMT March 2) 
• NRL – Penrith Panthers vs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (8:30pm PST / 4:30am GMT March 2)