‘It's our responsibility': Australian star's vision to stave off NRLW poaching
When the Queensland Reds star is not gracing the fields of Ballymore for the Super Rugby Women's, she plies her trade for the Exeter Chiefs in England's Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby competition.
For the English 2024-25 season,18 rounds between nine teams took place before finals – a stark contrast to the four rounds before finals experienced in Australia.
That lopsided level of experience received by players has been reflected at the Women's Rugby World Cup, with England featuring in eight of nine finals – finishing third in their one campaign in which they did not reach the last clash.
'A lot of the UK plays in England, you get the best of Ireland, the best of Scotland, the best of Wales. Then you get France, Italy, a lot of Americans, the Canadians and even some Kiwis and Aussies – you get the best of the world,' Cramer said.
Loading
'Because you've got more depth in players, and it's an 18-round season, you go through those highs and lows of the season, and you get time to build on-field combinations.'
The Wallaroos have, meanwhile, never made a final – a third-place finish in 2010 their lone occasion in the competition's final four.
However, speaking ahead of the nation's battle with Wales at Ballymore – where she pleaded for fans to 'fill the hill' on Saturday – Cramer stressed strides had been taken to make an impression come the 2025 World Cup beginning in August.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Miserable start for Aussie star skipper in the Hundred
Beth Mooney, one of three Australian captains in the women's Hundred tournament in England, has endured a miserable launch to her reign at Manchester Originals, failing with the bat before overseeing a comprehensive six-wicket defeat. At the Originals' Old Trafford base on Wednesday, the 31-year-old Victorian wicketkeeper-batter star lost the toss against the Southern Brave - and things only went quickly downhill after her side were put in to bat. Opening the batting as ever, Mooney, who's taken over the captaincy from star English international teammate Sophie Ecclestone, had hoped to emulate fellow Aussies Meg Lanning and Grace Harris, whose brilliant batting on Tuesday had lit up the Hundred's opening day at Lord's. Instead, she first had to watch her partner Kathryn Bryce get bowled for a second-ball duck before her own struggles began. Mooney had managed to eke out just a single from the first five balls she faced before she failed to get on top of a delivery from English allrounder Mady Villiers that got a bit of extra bounce and cut straight into the hands of backward point Danni Wyatt-Hodge. Her exit was just the start of the collapse as the hosts were quickly reduced to 5-39 off just 41 balls, with Lauren Bell (3-28) and Villiers (2-18) doing most of the early damage. Only Seren Smale ralled for the Originals, scoring an unbeaten 40 from 34 balls to give Mooney's side a semblance of hope as they closed on 8-95 off their 100-ball allocation. Laura Wolvaardt and Wyatt-Hodge put on 48 from 36 deliveries to set the visitors on the road to victory, even though the latter got a beauty and was bowled for 32 by England colleague Ecclestone. Veteran Kiwi Sophie Devine was dismissed for a duck by Danielle Gregory and Ecclestone caught Freya Kemp off Ameilia Kerr, but Wolvaardt safely steered Southern Brave to a comfortable victory with an unbeaten 42 off 37 balls. It was a disappointing start for Mooney, who's been charged with helping restore the fortunes of the Originals as their on-field leader, as their women's side have yet to ever progress beyond the group stages of the event. Mooney's fellow Australian skippers - Ellyse Perry is in charge of the Birmingham Phoenix while Ash Gardner is leading the Trent Rockets - will be hoping to do better when they lead their teams into a duel at Edgbaston on Friday.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Miserable start for Aussie star skipper in the Hundred
Beth Mooney, one of three Australian captains in the women's Hundred tournament in England, has endured a miserable launch to her reign at Manchester Originals, failing with the bat before overseeing a comprehensive six-wicket defeat. At the Originals' Old Trafford base on Wednesday, the 31-year-old Victorian wicketkeeper-batter star lost the toss against the Southern Brave - and things only went quickly downhill after her side were put in to bat. Opening the batting as ever, Mooney, who's taken over the captaincy from star English international teammate Sophie Ecclestone, had hoped to emulate fellow Aussies Meg Lanning and Grace Harris, whose brilliant batting on Tuesday had lit up the Hundred's opening day at Lord's. Instead, she first had to watch her partner Kathryn Bryce get bowled for a second-ball duck before her own struggles began. Mooney had managed to eke out just a single from the first five balls she faced before she failed to get on top of a delivery from English allrounder Mady Villiers that got a bit of extra bounce and cut straight into the hands of backward point Danni Wyatt-Hodge. Her exit was just the start of the collapse as the hosts were quickly reduced to 5-39 off just 41 balls, with Lauren Bell (3-28) and Villiers (2-18) doing most of the early damage. Only Seren Smale ralled for the Originals, scoring an unbeaten 40 from 34 balls to give Mooney's side a semblance of hope as they closed on 8-95 off their 100-ball allocation. Laura Wolvaardt and Wyatt-Hodge put on 48 from 36 deliveries to set the visitors on the road to victory, even though the latter got a beauty and was bowled for 32 by England colleague Ecclestone. Veteran Kiwi Sophie Devine was dismissed for a duck by Danielle Gregory and Ecclestone caught Freya Kemp off Ameilia Kerr, but Wolvaardt safely steered Southern Brave to a comfortable victory with an unbeaten 42 off 37 balls. It was a disappointing start for Mooney, who's been charged with helping restore the fortunes of the Originals as their on-field leader, as their women's side have yet to ever progress beyond the group stages of the event. Mooney's fellow Australian skippers - Ellyse Perry is in charge of the Birmingham Phoenix while Ash Gardner is leading the Trent Rockets - will be hoping to do better when they lead their teams into a duel at Edgbaston on Friday.
The Australian
8 hours ago
- The Australian
Rugby Australia relaxes 'redundant' limit on foreign-based players
Rugby Australia has signalled that more overseas-based players will be allowed to represent the Wallabies, shifting away from a strict policy that has heavily favoured domestic players. The so-called "Giteau Law" -- named after former fly-half Matt Giteau -- has for years put restrictions on overseas-based players being selected for the Wallabies. But with Test stars such as lock Will Skelton, flanker Tom Hooper and prop Taniela Tupou all joining an exodus to Europe, Rugby Australia has indicated the Giteau Law has been dropped. That gives head coach Joe Schmidt a free selection hand when he names his squad for the Rugby Championship this week. "Joe's got no impediment to select whoever he wants," Rugby Australia head of high performance Peter Horne said. "The Giteau Law, it's kind of redundant right," Horne added in comments reported by Schmidt is due to name his squad Thursday for the Rugby Championship which begins this month. Scrapping the rule would also benefit incoming head coach Les Kiss, who takes over the Wallabies next year tasked with preparing for the Rugby World Cup on home soil in 2027. The Giteau Law was adopted by the Wallabies in 2015, allowing overseas-based players to represent the side only if they had played 60 Tests for Australia and seven seasons of Super Rugby. It enabled players such as Matt Giteau, who was then starring for Toulon, to be picked for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Before then, Australia had a blanket ban on overseas-based players representing the Wallabies. sft/dh
