Jillaroos captain Ali Brigginshaw says England more fiery than NZ

Jillaroos captain Ali Brigginshaw has warned the Australian team that England's aggression will surpass that of traditional rivals New Zealand in this one-off test match held in Las Vegas. This will be the fourth time in Jillaroos history that they have faced England, and the first since the establishment of the Australian National Rugby League Women's (NRLW), marking significant progress in women's rugby league.

Key Australian players such as Tamika Upton, Keilee Davis, and Yasmin Clydsdale, who are making their Jillaroos debuts since the last match against England in 2017, have yet to face the English side. Brigginshaw, who participated in two of the previous three matches, recalled a clash during the 2013 World Cup, which was so intense that two England players were sent off.

Brigginshaw told the Australian Associated Press (AAP), "They are a very aggressive team, and the matches are very intense. It's probably more intense than when we play New Zealand. There's just a bit of niggle there when Australia play England, but I love it." She believes that playing in different domestic leagues intensifies the competitiveness of the match.

When the two teams last met at the 2017 World Cup, the England team consisted entirely of players who had just finished their inaugural Women's Super League season. At the same time, the NRLW was about to publicly announce its inaugural season to be held in 2018. Brigginshaw said, "They have the Super League, so they think their game might be better than ours. It's all about competitiveness and a fierce rivalry over which country is stronger."

Apart from Indigenous All Stars representatives Quincy Dodd, Mahalia Murphy, Kennedy Cherrington, and Olivia Kernick, the Australian players have not participated in any competitive matches since defeating New Zealand in the Pacific Cup final last November. However, Jillaroos interim coach Jess Skinner has developed individual training programs for the players to prepare for the pre-Las Vegas training camp, which begins on Thursday in Queensland. All team members have been working out in the gym and running, and some have gathered in their respective cities for contact training to ensure the team can quickly get into game mode when they play at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday (Australian Eastern Standard Time).