Woman of Steel, marriage, Vegas – Dagger’s packed 12 months

England v Australia: Women’s Test

Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas Date: Saturday, 1 March (02: 00 GMT, Sunday, 2 March)

Georgie Dagger had so many big days last year that, in the end, she couldn’t fit them all in. If all goes well in Las Vegas, her 2025 diary might be just as busy.

Last June, she made her England debut. She won the Women’s Super League Grand Final for the second time in a row in October as York Valkyrie won the game. She was then given the title “Woman of Steel.”

She had a chance to make another international appearance in November, but the match ended up being played in opposition to her wedding.

So on the day England earned their biggest-ever win by defeating Wales 82-0 in Leeds, Dagger was the best part of 3, 000 miles away in Cyprus.

It was there that the full-back, formerly known as Georgie Hetherington, married her long-term partner Will Dagger, who plays in the men’s Championship for York Knights.

Now, she’s with England in Vegas.

She is back on international duty as a member of the 20-man squad for Saturday’s Test against world champions Australia after missing the Wales match due to head coach Stuart Barrow’s permission.

“I got married on the same weekend that the Wales game was happening”, the 27-year-old said. “We’d booked the wedding way in advance and at that point there weren’t any clashes. So we were like ‘ Yep, we’re all good to go’.

” And then the news of the game came out and I said to Stu: ‘ I’m really sorry, I won’t be available. I’m getting married. ‘ And he said: ‘ It’s a good enough excuse to miss the game. ‘

We kept up with what was happening because we followed social media updates throughout the day.

Saturday’s Test is part of a four-match showcase at Allegiant Stadium, which staged last year’s Super Bowl: Wigan play Warrington in the men’s Super League, while there are also two NRL games, with Canberra Raiders facing New Zealand Warriors and Penrith Panthers up against Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.

Since Craig Richards left at the conclusion of the previous World Cup, Barrow has faced the biggest challenge. He has since become England’s head coach for more than two years.

Barrow’s four matches so far have brought two wins each over France and Wales, with a total of 248 points scored and none conceded.

England must face stronger challenges as they prepare for the World Cup in 2020, and they must aim to surpass 2022, when they lost in the semi-finals to New Zealand, who were then defeated by Australia in the final.

The only way to assess your progress is to face off against world champions, Dagger said, and to give it a real good shot and see where you are going.

England is attempting to bridge the gap between themselves and the best of the rest by drawing on the experience of those who play their club rugby in Australia.

Hollie-Mae Dodd has two seasons with the Canberra Raiders, while Georgia Roche helped the Newcastle Knights win the NRLW Grand Final after moving there in 2023.

Second-rower Paige Travis, who left Challenge Cup winners St Helens to join the Parramatta Eels on a two-year deal, will join them in the NRLW this year.

” It was always something I really wanted to do, “Travis said”. However, I can get excited about moving there first because obviously my duties in England come first and then they follow.

England were beaten 38-0 the last time they met Australia, at the 2017 World Cup, with Travis and her team-mates seeking to prove they can be much more competitive.

” This is about this group, “Travis said”. It’s not about previous groups. It’s not about the future. We can only evaluate how well-prepared we are, and we feel very good and prepared.

“This will be one of the biggest events we will all be in,” he declares. I believe there will be a lot more people following us in the future.

After spotting herself on the big screen and giving a cheeky wink, Travis became famous as she helped St Helens win a fourth consecutive Women’s Challenge Cup with a victory over Leeds at Wembley in June.

Travis has downplayed the possibility of a repeat performance this weekend despite the fact that Allegiant Stadium has its own big screens.