Eva Karpani: 'I think the pressure is on them. We've got nothing to lose'

The last 12 months of rugby have been a whirlwind for one of the Wallaroos’ big stars, Eva Karpani, the 46-capped international being named on the bench to face England for Saturday’s match in Salford.

Having last played in Manchester at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 when they defeated Samoa 73-0, Karpani has embraced what is set to be a challenging few weeks in their WXV Global Series tour, with matches against France and Scotland to follow.

With the world champions first up, the Australians have embraced the underdog tag, with Karpani looking to make an impression in the side’s improving set-piece.

“Being back in Manchester, it’s a really nice feeling,” Karpani told RugbyPass following the announcement of the team on Thursday evening in Australian.

“It’s a different group and a different coaching staff, but the same sort of vibe. [We’re] here to win and yeah, here to perform. I think the pressure is on them [the Red Roses]. We’ve got nothing to lose.

“We know that we need to perform and we’ve got a game plan and we all buy into it. I just think we need to stick to our own individual processes and do our role and the rest will come together.”

While the world champions are expected to be heavy favourites, it is easy to forget that when the side’s met in the pool stages of last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, the Wallaroos had the Red Roses under the pump for the first half hour of action – with set-piece playing a major factor.

Leading the side until less than 10 minutes from half-time, the Wallaroos stole three lineouts and a scrum against the world champions, keeping the ball and dominating possession with nearly 70 per cent of first half ball.

The English showed their class in the second half, scoring four tries to run out 47-7 winners in the end, with Australia bowing out in similar fashion to Canada in the quarter-finals.

However, with the women in gold openly putting a primary focus on nailing down their processes before translating that to results, the set-piece has looked at what went right in that first half hour, believing they can translate that into a better performance this weekend.

With the coach staff also stacking the bench with nearly 200 caps of experience, including Karpani, Emily Chancellor, Piper Duck, Cecilia Smith and Tia Hinds, the goal will be to maintain parity in the first half, with a timely injection of their biggest stars to maintain the rage in the second half.

“The memorable moments [of that game against England at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025] were just all buying in and sticking to the game plan,” Karpani reflected.

“When we did start the game, it was just to really, really give it to them. Start the game a lot more physical. I think it was just being present.

“This year, it’s just having that consistent set-piece across the whole 80 minutes, in the first half and in the second half.

“If we can start and finish the way we did start last year against England, I think it will get us to go forward.

“It’s exciting because to be able to show up in set-piece against the number one team in the world, especially in the first half, it just gives us confidence that, hey, they’re just another team.

“Set-piece is something we do pride on and we do know it’s a strength of ours. It’s definitely something we’ll be looking forward to this weekend. For us, as forwards, we need to make sure that we are delivering the best we can for the backline.”

Karpani is set to be joined on the bench by her Reds captain, Jemma Bemrose, who is one of two debutants for the Wallaroos this weekend. Having worked with her the last few years, the prop expects huge things from the loose forward once she takes the field.

“This is so deserving for Jemma,” Karpani said. “She did juggle a few injuries at the back end of the Super [Rugby Women’s] season last year. She’s been working towards the Wallaroos. She definitely deserves to be here.

“She’s worked very hard over the last year to get where she is today. I’m really, really excited for her. She is someone to watch, especially in this space over the coming years.”

For Karpani herself, the next few weeks are set to be a significant one in her career: pending any sudden injuries, she currently sets as the second-most capped Wallaroo of all time, and alongside Michaela Leonard, could become the first ever Australian player to crack 50 caps this year.

However, for the barnstorming prop, her focus is more on making sure she earns every cap.

“Success for me looks like putting my best foot forward, continuing to chip away and continuing to build on my craft and doing what I can do the best way possible for the team,” Karpamo affirmed

“It’s just continuing to build on my craft, my experience and my knowledge and my presence.”