The past 12 months of rugby has been a whirlwind for one of the Wallaroos’ big stars, Eva Karpani, a 46-cap international named on the face-off bench England for Saturday’s match in Salford.
Having last played in Manchester in a women’s game Rugby World Cup 2025 when they defeated Samoa 73-0, Karpani embraced what will be a challenging few weeks in their WXV Global Series tour, with matches against France and Scotland to follow.
With the first world champions, the Australians accepted the label of outsiders, and Karpani wanted to make an impression in the team’s ever-improving line-up.
“To be back in Manchester, it’s a really nice feeling,” said Karpani RugbyPass following the team’s announcement Thursday night in Australia.
“It’s a different group and a different coaching staff, but the same kind of vibe. (We’re) here to win and yes, here to perform. I think the pressure is on them (Red Roses). We have nothing to lose.”
“We know we have to perform and we have a game plan and we’re all into it. I just think we need to stick to our individual processes and do our part and the rest will come together.”
While the world champions are expected to be heavy favourites, it’s easy to forget that when the sides met in the pool stages of last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, the Wallaroos had the Red Roses under the pump for the first half hour of action – with set play a major factor.
Leading the team until less than 10 minutes from half-time, the Wallaroos stole three lines and a drive against the world champions, keeping possession and dominating possession with almost 70 per cent of the ball in the first half.
England showed their class in the second half, scoring four tries to run out 47-7 winners, with Australia bowing in a similar manner as Canada in the quarterfinals.
However, with the women in gold clearly putting their primary focus on nailing down their processes before translating it into results, the crowd looked at what went well in those first half hours, believing they can translate that into a better performance this weekend.
With the coaching staff also stacked with nearly 200 games of experience, including Karpani, Emily Chancellor, Piper Duck, Cecilia Smith and Tia Hinds, the aim will be to maintain parity in the first half, with a timely injection of their biggest stars to keep the anger going in the second half.
“Unforgettable moments (those matches against England in Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025) they just all bought in and stuck to the game plan,” Karpani reflected.
“When we started the game, it was just really, really giving it to them. We started the game a lot physical. I think it was just the presence.”
“This year, it’s just a consistent set throughout the entire 80 minutes, in the first half and the second half.
“If we can start and finish like we did last year against England, I think that will push us forward.
“It’s exciting because we can come up in a set-piece against the number one team in the world, especially in the first half, it just gives us confidence that, hey, they’re just another team.
“The kit is something we pride ourselves on and we know it’s our strength. It’s definitely something we’ll be looking forward to this weekend. For us, as forwards, we’ve got to make sure we’re doing our best for the backline.”
Karpani will be joined on the bench by her Reds captain, Jemma Bemrose, who is one of two Wallaroos debutants this weekend. Having worked with her for the past few years, the prop expects big things from the loose forward when she takes the field.
“This is so creditable to Jemma,” said Karpani. “She juggled a couple of injuries at the end of the Super (women’s rugby) season last year. She worked for the Wallaroos. She definitely deserves to be here.”
“She’s worked very hard over the last year to get to where she is today. I’m really, really excited for her. She’s someone to watch, especially in this space over the next few years.”
For Karpani herself, the next few weeks should be significant in her career: barring any sudden injuries, she currently sits as the second Wallaroo for the most caps of all time, and alongside Michaela Leonard, could become the first Australian player to reach 50 caps this year.
However, when it comes to barnstorming props, her focus is more on making sure she earns every hat.
“Success to me looks like doing my best, continuing to break down and continuing to build my craft and doing what I can to the best of my abilities,” Karpamo affirmed.
“It’s just continuing to build on my craft, my experience and knowledge and presence.”