England's Las Vegas adventure a step towards World Cup dream for Leeds Rhinos star Izzy Northrop
For Leeds Rhinos forward Izzy Northrop, this weekend’s Las Vegas adventure with England is a step towards achieving her ultimate rugby league dream.
Along with Rhinos teammates Keara Bennett and Bella Sykes, Northrop is part of England’s squad to face Australia at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday as coach Stuart Barrow’s side begin their build up to next year’s World Cup. Northrop, 24, joined Rhinos from Huddersfield Giants ahead of the 2023 season and was joint-top try scorer the following year with 13, including five in one game against Barrow.
She made her England debut as a substitute against Wales last November and has sights firmly set on next year’s global tournament in Australia. “It has been a dream of mine to play in a World Cup since I started playing rugby league.” she said. “To play for Leeds Rhinos was the first dream, to play for England was the second and to play in a World Cup is dream number three, so I am hoping I can box that one off.”
England flew to Vegas on Tuesday and it is the first time Northrop has travelled outside Europe. The international is part of a four-match festival which begins with a Betfred Super League showdown between Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves, followed by two NRL fixtures, when Canberra Raiders face New Zealand Warriors and Penrith Panthers take on Cronulla Sharks.
“It’s exciting,” Northrop said. “I’m not sure how many fans will be there, but we’ve seen videos of fan events from last year and it’s absolutely heaving so I’m hoping a lot of people will be there to watch.
“I’ve never really considered going to Vegas before, but it’s like being in the movies, all the excitement. It’s mega and it’s a big thing to be part of. We are in a good position in the running order - we are the third game so I am excited to play in front of a lot of fans. It is going to be a massive occasion.”
Both England and Australia are in pre-season with the Women’s Super League and NRL Women’s competitions yet to begin. Facing Australia is a tough prospect at any time, but Northrop insisted: “We have been training really well. We’ve just clicked, at the most recent camp we got some really good sessions under our belts. It’s great having the players who’ve missed the last few, like Georgia Roche, back with us. Everything has fitted nicely together. Obviously there’s a few bits to touch up, but we’ve come together really well as a group and we’re excited for it.”
Australia are world champions and the game will be a measuring stick for England. “We haven’t played them since 2017 and I wasn’t involved, I was only 17 then,” Northrop recalled. “I think maybe a couple of us were involved in the last game, but obviously the team has changed since then. Anything could happen, if we want to be the best in the world, we have to play and beat the best in the world, so we’ve got to start somewhere.”
Leeds have been training since last autumn, so Northrop is keen to get a game crossed off. “We did a pre- pre-season from October-November up until Christmas and started our proper pre-season in January,” she said. “It is going really well. We’ve got a couple of new faces in, a couple of the academy girls have come up and everyone’s training really well. It is looking good.”
Rhinos are in transition following the departure of a host of influential players last year. Northrop conceded: “It is tricky when big characters and established players leave your club, but we’ve got some really good new faces this year and I’m excited to see what they can do on the pitch.”