'Eager to learn': Wallaroos' Caitlyn Halse on Leicester Tigers opportunity

Wallaroos full-back Caitlyn Halse is ‘eager’ to learn during her time with JAECOO Premiership Women’s Rugby club Leicester Tigers.

The 20-year-old is one of a flurry of arrivals in the East Midlands ahead of the 2026/27 PWR season – with the club aiming to improve on their ninth-place finish last term.

Halse joined Leicester alongside Australia teammates Tabua Tuinakauvadra and Ashley Fernandez, as well as France prop Coco Lindelauf and Wales internationals Lisa Neumann and Abbie Fleming.

The Wallaroos contingent arrived after Rugby Australia struck an agreement with PWR to provide Australian players with the opportunity to represent clubs in England.

Along with the arrivals at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, prop forward Bridie O’Gorman has signed for three-time league champions Gloucester Hartpury.

“I’ve still got a lot to learn around my game, in attack and defence,” Halse told ABC Sports. “I’m willing and eager to learn. I just want to go over there and soak up all the information I can and bring it back to Australia and use that to my advantage for the Wallaroos.”

In recent years, PWR has established itself as the top domestic women’s rugby competition in the world.  In the summer it was announced that the Rugby Football Union were investing £24m into PWR across the next decade.

Australian players that have committed their future to PWR have contracts that conclude ahead of next year’s Pacific Four Series and allow players to return home for the new Super Rugby Women’s season.

At WXV Global Series, the Wallaroos lost matches against England and France, but won three Tests against Scotland. This included two fixtures against the Scots on home soil.

“I’m just super excited to experience a different type of rugby,” Halse said. “They’ve got girls from Canada, USA and all over Europe. I’m just keen to go over there and learn something new and experience something different.”