England Women bench Foubister, start Rowe and Roche — SkimNews
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- Stuart Barrow named Izzy Rowe and Georgia Roche as England's starting half-backs for the World Cup opener against Wales on October 17, benching reigning Woman of Steel Jenna Foubister despite calling the Foubister-Rowe pairing "telepathic."
- Barrow cut a 40-player squad named on September 2 down to 23, telling Sky Sports it was "one of the toughest things I have ever experienced" with "sleepless nights" and "difficult phone calls."
- England Women face Australia and Samoa after Wales in pool play, with a semi-final berth at stake across the three games.
- Jenna Foubister and Izzy Rowe are Wigan Warriors half-back partners and best friends, with Rowe telling Sky Sports playing alongside Foubister or watching her link with Roche is "a massive dream come true."
- Georgia Roche, a former Woman of Steel now starring in Australia's NRLW, "cannot be left out" according to Barrow, who called her one of the best half-backs England has produced.
- Barrow contrasted the current depth with four years ago, when "the squad almost picked itself," pointing to the wider talent pool as evidence of the growth of the women's game.
Why it matters: Barrow's decision to bench the reigning Woman of Steel for two other elite options is the clearest signal yet of how deep English women's rugby league has become in four years. How he rotates Foubister, Rowe and Roche across three pool games against Wales, Australia and Samoa will shape England's route to the semi-finals — and tell us which combination he trusts when the knockout stage arrives.
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