Normanton Knight’s Lori Halloran in World Cup squad

Lori hails from Batley but currently lives in Norristhorpe, and plays as a loose forward for the Knights.

She joined up with the squad this week as they prepare for their first match of the tournament, against Australia on Friday.

Lori: “I’m very proud, it’s something I’ve aspired to since I started playing rugby aged nine.

“Hopefully I will start the first match, but their are 24 girls in the squad and only 17 will get picked for the game.

“I’ve got a strong chance but you never know.”

New Zealand go into the competition as heavy favourites, having won all three previous World Cups, but Lori says the England team are confident of their chances.

She said: “The full squad has been together for the past three weeks, and we are at camp this week.

“New Zealand are obviously favourites but we have a really strong team and we are working on a few things.”

Lori was part of the Normanton team who won the Women’s RL Shield with a 36-16 win at Batley Bulldogs’ Mount Pleasant stadium on Sunday, June 23.

She ran over two tries in the win, and hopes the experience will help her while playing for England.

She said: “We were underdogs going into the final against Featherstone, and we are a reasonably new team.

“It was a great experience for us.”

Normanton teammate Lindsey Anfield has also been chosen in the national squad, while there are nine representatives from Thatto Heath, six from Featherstone, five from Bradford and one each for Cross Fields and Coventry.