'We want it to be competitive': Skinner welcomes rise of Pacific rivals
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Jillaroos coach Jess Skinner has welcomed the increasing international flavour of the NRLW as she prepares to guide Australia in the end-of-season Pacific Championships and 2026 World Cup.
Skinner, who oversaw Australia’s 90-4 defeat of England at Allegiant Stadium earlier this year, has been appointed until the World Cup as the Jillaroos aim to defend their title as world champions on home soil.
Firstly, the Jillaroos must overcome New Zealand and Samoa in the 2025 Pacific Championships and with the Warriors and Bulldogs joining the NRLW Skinner believes both nations will be stronger than ever.
“There are a lot of great players coming through and a lot of new faces across the NRLW with the new teams, which is great because everyone wants to be successful but we also want it to be competitive,” Skinner told 42025.com.
“We are really excited for this year to go into the Pacific Championships and to play Samoa because they are tough and physical, and they are an exciting opponent for us to help build to the World Cup.”
Led by inspirational captain Annetta-Claudia Nu’uausala, Samoa beat Tonga and edged Fiji to qualify for RLWC2026 before downing Papua New Guinea to earn promotion into this year’s Pacific Cup.
Most of the Samoa team was drawn from the NRLW, and the expansion to 12 teams will see more talent available to the Pacific nations, while there are now also four English players and a Canadian in the competition.
Fetu Samoa v Bulikula – Week 3, 2024
“There is just so much talent coming through across the Pacific countries and it is a credit to the pathways, but also to NRLW clubs, where they are getting amazing coaching through the year and then we get them at the end of the year,” Skinner said.
Having been on the Jillaroos coaching staff since 2018, Skinner is well prepared to step into the top job, as she demonstrated by taking charge at short notice in Vegas and overseeing one of the most emphatic wins by any Australian team.
While the match highlighted the gulf in between the NRLW and England’s Women’s Super League, it was also the most watched women’s international and showed Americans why the NRLW is one of the world’s best female sporting competitions.
“What I learned most was how important it was to showcase women’s rugby league,” Skinner said.
“Yes, the scoreline did blow out, but I think it was a moment to reflect on how far the women’s game has come, and also how great our Jillaroos athletes are.
“We probably need to speak more about how great the athletes are in the women’s game rather than what the scoreline was, because they really deserved their moment to break a ceiling that had never really been reached before, and they continue to do that.
“They did it in State of Origin, they did it in All Stars and they do it week-in and week-out in the NRLW.
“We set the standard for women’s sport and we need to continue to do that, and to drive forward with that and use that as fuel to keep leaving it in a better place.”
With the State of Origin series played before the NRLW season, Skinner said performances across the year would be taken into account when selecting the Jillaroos team for the Pacific Championships in October and November.
“There is still a lot of footy to be played still and we are regularly watching games, we are keeping an eye really closely on the girls, and it actually starts in All Stars,” she said.
“State of Origin comes into play, NRLW comes into play, there are players we have had in the Jillaroos before who didn’t play State of Origin and went out and smashed it in NRLW so all of those things come into play.
“Bu it is not just about the footy, it is how the girls hold themselves in the game and off the field as well, so that is really important - especially in the Jillaroos, where everyone is a leader.
“We have really strong values, and we want to see them living those values throughout the year, no matter what jersey they are wearing.”
