International Women's Day: Wigan Warriors' Anna Davies hopes rugby league's current progress will inspire the next generation of girls

The sport has seen a continual growth over the last few years, which has seen double-headers at big stadiums, as well as games being broadcast on TV.

Davies recently represented Wigan at the Super League launch event, which welcomed players from the men’s, women’s and wheelchair formats of rugby league.

She said: “It’s all part of a big journey, and this is a key stage in that, because we’re getting that same platform.

“For me personally, it’s nice to see the background work that goes into Super League.

“It helps with the motivation as you can see it’s heading in the right direction, so we have to keep working hard on and off the field to promote the game.

“We want to take our opportunities with both hands.

“We’ve loved playing on TV and on the streaming services because it gives us an opportunity to extend our fanbase.

“It’s strange when you watch yourself back with the commentators, as it’s presented just like the men’s game, so it’s a pretty great thing for us.

“Having double-headers is brilliant, just to have the privilege of playing inside grounds like Old Trafford and Wembley.

“The joy of playing inside those stadiums with that kind of audience is so much more exciting.

“Some players get nervous but I love that feeling of walking out when it’s loud.

“It’s almost like a reward for the players, but it’s about providing entertainment as well.

“I think we’ve got a product that people want to watch, so it’s about expanding that audience.

“I work in schools with Wigan’s foundation, and for them to be able to watch it is hopefully inspiring the girls because they can see they’ve got the opportunity to play sport- and one day it could be a professional job for them.

“It’s not just the young girls either, a teacher has asked me if there was any touch rugby that they can get involved in, because they feel like they missed that opportunity growing up.

“It’s been really exciting.

“It’s definitely a goal for us to have that professionalism, it’s just about working hard to make sure we do it in the right kind of way.

“The more professional it is, the higher quality games you will have, but that will also push the standard of everyone else because you want to compete.

“I’m so thankful to Wigan because each season they are giving us more and things are progressing.

“We’ve got things that make the difference on the day-to-day.”

Warriors Women start pre-season

Wigan Warriors Women got their pre-season preparations underway at the weekend, as they overcame Salford Red Devils with a 38-4 victory.

Davies was among the scorers, while Molly Jones claimed a hat-trick.

Beri Salihi, Grace Banks, Beth Hayes and Lucy Johnson all went over as well.

Their next warm-up fixtures comes against Leeds Rhinos at Weetwood Sports Park on Sunday (K.O. 12pm).

Six Warriors selected for England students

Elsewhere, six Wigan players have been selected for England students.

Grace Banks, Elise Gater, Beth Hayes, Eva Hunter, Molly Jones and Beri Salihi have all been picked for the squad to compete against GB Teachers and UK Armed Forces in May for the President’s Cup and Pankhurst Cup.