Wallaroos believe 'possibilities are endless' ahead of 2029 World Cup

Like every Test rugby player, Wallaroos lock Kaitlan Leaney knows a team cannot be defined by anything less than an 80-minute performance.

But on the recent WXV Global Series tour of Great Britain and France, Leaney feels the Wallaroos gave glimpses of the team they can be ahead of the 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup, which Australia will host.

The Wallaroos' 48-15 loss to England in Salford last month is a case in point.

The final scoreline suggests a thrashing, but it does not tell the story of the first half when the Wallaroos held the upper hand over the world champions.

England did not hit the front on the scoreboard until the 46th minute after the Wallaroos led 10-5 at half-time.

"That first half just showed the potential that we have as a squad," Leaney told ABC Sport.

"I don't think it came down to England being rusty, or us having a few more games under our belt before we played them.

"I think it came down to us having that pure intent. We knew the way we wanted to play.

"We were physical on both sides of the ball. We spoke about winning the collision, and I think that we definitely did that."

It was not just the Wallaroos' brute force that gave them the advantage, but also their intelligent strategy.

Faliki Pohiva's 31st-minute try came after the Wallaroos identified weaknesses in England's defensive formation and line-out.

"England is the best in the world and we took it to them for 45 minutes," said Leaney, who has been among the Wallaroos' most consistent players in 2026.

"We're definitely not happy with just that. We want to be able to come away with wins, but I think it just shows the growth and the capabilities we have."

A 29-26 defeat to world number four France in Aix-en-Provence the following week also provided encouraging signs, although the match was there for the taking.

The seventh-ranked Wallaroos failed to land the decisive blow, having squandered a 19-0 lead against a French side reduced to 11 players at one stage during the first half.

They rebounded seven days later to defeat Scotland 30-10 in Edinburgh; however, Leaney and her teammates were dissatisfied with their display after trailing 10-5 at half-time.

"In the first half, I think we let ourselves down in terms of discipline and missing some key opportunities that we created," Leaney said.

'Possibilities are endless'

The establishment of a full-time Wallaroos program is in progress, and will be a game-changer for women's rugby in Australia.

England invested wisely when it first offered full-time contracts in 2019, and it is little surprise the Red Roses have not lost a match in four years.

A veteran of 43 Tests, Leaney knows the Wallaroos will improve immensely once they are no longer semi-professional.

"I think once we have that and we're together full-time, you'll see the results come from that," she said.

"I think the possibilities are endless in that space."

The Wallaroos' immediate focus is tomorrow's WXV Global Series Test against Scotland in Sydney.

It is the first of two Tests against the Scots on Australian soil, with the second match to be played in Canberra on October 23.

Winning is the obvious goal, but Leaney is also determined that the Wallaroos produce a complete performance across both halves.

"That's something we're working on for this weekend and making sure we're firing from the get-go and sticking to our game plan," she said.

"Because when we do, it works. We just need to do it from the start.

"We just haven't reached that 80-minute performance yet."