The Bench: Jodie Cunningham and Kyle Amor join Jenna Brooks and Jon Wilkin on Sky Sports’ rugby league podcast | Rugby League News | Sky Sports

England Women captain Jodie Cunningham and former St Helens prop Kyle Amor joined Jenna Brooks and Jon Wilkin on the latest episode of The Bench podcast; listen to Sky Sports’ rugby league podcast and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker

Last Updated: 11/10/23 10:45am

Catalans Dragons are in the Betfred Super League Grand Final, Toulouse Olympique and London Broncos will battle it out in the Betfred Championship decider for promotion to the top-flight the following day, and York Valkyrie are the recently-crowned Betfred Women’s Super League champions.

Rugby league has endured something of a mixed history with attempts to expand the sport, but those examples are among some recent positive signs across both the men’s and women’s games.

Were the Broncos to beat Toulouse in Sunday’s match in the south of France, they would follow in the footsteps of their women’s team who clinched the Women’s Super League South title with a 22-10 win over Cardiff Demons in August.

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Subscribe to The Bench podcast on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Spreaker

Their progress has been noted by England Women captain Jodie Cunningham, who is also the RFL’s national women’s and girls development manager, and the St Helens star told this week’s The Bench podcast why she is so excited by the potential in both the south of England, and Wales.

“It’s different challenges [to the men’s game] because everybody at the minute is amateur, so we’re transitioning a lot of players from rugby union to league, getting some really good athletes, and there is some potential there around representative opportunities,” Cunningham told Sky Sports.

“London Broncos won that [south] competition against a really good Cardiff Demons side and it’s hard to judge, but they’re probably around that seventh or eighth top side for the women – they could easily be in the Women’s Super League in a couple of years’ time.

“We’re trying to work with Scotland to get an Edinburgh side, so for the women’s game we’re at the point now where quite quickly they can move up the performance ladder, represent their country and be part of big occasions.