York Valkyrie's Eboni Partington & Liv Wood in England squad

The pair have been named in Stu Barrow’s 20-player squad for next Sunday’s (November 2, 12pm) clash with Wales at Headingley, which will be played as a double-header with England’s Men taking on Samoa later that afternoon.

It is understood that some Valkyrie players are unavailable for the fixture due to attending newly crowned Woman of Steel Georgie Hetherington and York Knights full-back Will Dagger’s wedding.

Partington, Wood, Savannah Andrade, Jas Bell and Jess Sharp all lined up in a Yorkshire vs Lancashire Origin match at Oldham’s Boundary Park last week, in which the Red Rose claimed a 5-3 victory.

Speedster Partington – fresh from her try in the Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Final – scored the pick of the bunch after surging onto Isabel Rowe’s stunning cut-out pass, whilst Andrade also found the whitewash with a characteristic drive.

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Next month’s fixture is the eighth time that England women have played in front of a home crowd since 2020, evidencing the growing appetite nationally for the women’s game.

Barrow has described the squad, which features six potential debutants, as “transitional”, as he grapples with long-term injuries and unavailability.

The head coach though has been able to call upon former Valkyrie second-rower Hollie-Mae Dodd, who last year became the first English player to both sign a professional deal and score in the NRLW.

After making a flying start to life with Canberra Raiders, she suffered a season-ending ACL injury last September but is now ready to don her country’s colours again for the first time since her move Down Under.

Former Valkyrie favourite Hollie-Mae Dodd returns to the England fold after suffering an ACL injury last year. (Image: John Clifton/SWpix.com)Potential debutants include Leeds Rhinos prop Izzy Northrop, Huddersfield Giants full-back Amelia Brown, St Helens centre Erin Stott and Wigan Warriors trio Mary Coleman, Eva Hunter, and Jenna Foubister.

“We’ve just played another competitive Origin fixture at Boundary Park which was a fantastic experience for the players and staff involved and now we’re in a good position heading into our clash against Wales,” said Barrow.

“With the squad currently carrying a number of long-term injuries and some players unavailable, today’s squad is very much a transitional one, but we have a great mix of youth and experience heading into camp next Wednesday.

“I’m confident that some of the younger girls coming in will be able to learn a lot from the likes of Jodie Cunningham, Amy Hardcastle and Shona Hoyle.

“We have a big couple of years ahead of us as a group which includes a historic Ashes Series against Australia in 2025, so I think it’s very exciting that we have so many new names breaking into the squad who will hopefully be with us for many more years to come.”

• ENGLAND WOMEN TO FACE WALES: Amelia Brown (Huddersfield Giants), Keara Bennett (Leeds Rhinos), Mary Coleman (Wigan Warriors), Jodie Cunningham (St Helens), Anna Davies (Wigan Warriors), Hollie-Mae Dodd (Canberra Raiders), Jenna Foubister (Wigan Warriors), Amy Hardcastle (Leeds Rhinos), Eva Hunter (Wigan Warriors), Zoe Harris (St Helens), Shona Hoyle (Leeds Rhinos), Katie Mottershead (St Helens), Izzy Northrop (Leeds Rhinos), Eboni Partington (York Valkyrie), Isabel Rowe (Wigan Warriors), Bella Sykes (Leeds Rhinos), Erin Stott (St Helens), Paige Travis (St Helens), Vicky Whitfield (St Helens), Liv Wood (York Valkyrie)