All sports are furiously plotting how to exploit the success of the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph but when you drill down to the details, perhaps there is none better placed to ride the wave – with the exception of football, naturally – than rugby league.
After all, this is a sport that has made its own remarkable strides in recent years when it comes to the growth of its women’s game. The foundation of the Women’s Super League in 2017 enabled rugby league’s best female players to move into the spotlight via affiliations with clubs such as Leeds and St Helens. Crowds are on the up, double-headers alongside men’s Super League matches are frequently televised, and there is boundless optimism about the future of the domestic game.
But the real key for women’s rugby league comes in the shape of this year’s World Cup, which like the women’s Euros is being staged in…
