Anna Davies hails ‘amazing’ occasion as Wigan Warriors Women create double history

It saw the first women’s game to be held at the DW Stadium with the Denis Betts’ side running out 18-4 winners - while it was also the first Women’s Super League fixture live on talkSPORT as part of their new two-year broadcast deal that was announced ahead of the season.

Star centre Anna Davies scored twice in the triumph and was named the official player of the match, joined on the scoresheet by Isabel Rowe and Kaitlin Hilton against a Barrow side coached by Amanda Wilkinson - who led Wigan Warriors Women to their first Grand Final victory in 2018.

“If I’m being honest, it was only in those last couple of minutes that I let myself absorb that atmosphere,” said Davies, who was Wigan’s leading try scorer in 2023 and earned her first England call up that same season.

“It was just amazing. If you had told me a year ago or six months ago that we’d be playing here, I wouldn’t believe it.

“It was an amazing thing for the girls and I’ve got to thank the club as well.

“It’s mad, it might take a few days to really sink in.

“We love our game, and we just want other people to enjoy it. Sport is a show and we want people to enjoy it.”

Davies, a former national sprint hurdles medallist at youth level, hopes the historic fixture will help inspire the next generation of players in the women’s game, with the touch rugby league team that she coaches through the club’s foundation cheering on from the stands.

“The kids I coach, they were sitting behind the sticks. I could hear their voices and it was really nice,” she said.

“You want to inspire the next generation. It’s not just for us, it’s for them as well.

“There are girls who I coach who had never played rugby before and now they’re in teams, and hopefully this inspires them that they can do it too.”