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Wallaroos captain Siokapesi Palu said her side were “super stoked” at full-time when they lost 48-15 to England Salford.
At their half time WXV Global Series Open 2026 against women Rugby World Cup Champions of 2026 Australia who led 10-5. It was the first time the Red Roses had gone into the break behind their opponents since 2020.
Samantha Wood’s penalty and Faliki Pohiva’s converted try gave the Wallaroos a midway advantage, with England’s only effort coming from man of the match Abi Burton.
Australia’s leadership is also a result of their physicality. For the first 40 minutes, their more experienced pack made it difficult to live freely and on stage. It was more than a valid clue.
In the second half, England did what they do best and scored seven tries to pull away from Australia.
“We’re super stoked,” Palu said at full-time. “I think that result is not a reflection of the game we produced.
“We didn’t finish the way we wanted to. We’ll take a lot of positives from it. I believe it’s the first time England have come behind since 2020.”
“We’re going to need a lot of confidence. Against a world-class team like this, we can actually give it. For us, it’s just about trying to get through the whole 80 minutes so we can compete.”
Australia’s confidence is well founded. A year ago, when the two teams met in Women’s Rugby World Cup In 2025, the Wallaroos scored first at Brighton but failed to land any significant impact as the Red Roses ran away 47-7 winners.
And there are many immediate improvements for Australia. It was only a few weeks ago that the Black Ferns ran riot in Auckland to win 66-19 in the second leg of the 2026 Laurie O’Reilly Cup.
“We responded much better in that game than we did against the Black Ferns,” she said. “We know what to fix. We just have to get it on.”
“You could see bits of it in the first half. We really brought it to them. It’s just belief for us and just making sure we can compete.”
Now both teams will go their separate ways. England have a replay of the Women’s Rugby World Cup final with Canada next weekend. The Wallaroos are playing France and then Scotland. They will also host the Scots in a two-Test home series.