Mother country: Why Strange has put her hand up for England
- Author
- Timestamp
England, New Zealand or Australia.
Jasmin Strange is in a unique position of being eligible to represent all three nations at next year’s World Cup.
However, with her parents having met in England and a strong English family connection she has advised English officials of her desire to play for England.
Strange’s mother Adele is from Yorkshire and only moved to Australia after marrying her father John in England, where the Sydney Roosters and NSW Sky Blues mentor began his coaching career after playing stints with Featherstone, York and Sheffield.
“It’s not only that I have English heritage, I have strong ties to England Rugby League,” said Strange, whose brother Ethan plays for Canberra.
“Mum and dad actually met because dad was playing in England, and they fell in love and moved to Australia and had me. Dad is the youngest captain-coach in York’s history.
“Mum is from York, and she has got family in Leeds as well, and all over the place. She is the only one from her family who has moved over here, so all of her family are still in England. I have got cousins and a lot of relatives over there.”
It looks like you may be using adblocking software to view this site.
Many features on the site, such as video playback, may not work properly when using adblocking software.
Please whitelist our domain or disable your adblocker to access all features and videos.
Mum and dad present Ethan Strange's debut Raiders jersey
Strange, who has made three Māori All Stars appearances, is one of 24 NRLW players with English heritage, including England internationals Hollie-Mae Dodd (Raiders), Francesca Goldthorp (Cowboys), Georgia Roche (Knights) and Paige Travis (Eels).
Others, like Strange and Sydney Roosters team-mate Jocelyn Kelleher, have parents or grandparents born in England.
However, some have already represented Australia or New Zealand so they would be unable to play for England under current International Rugby League eligibility rules, which are the same for men and women.
It looks like you may be using adblocking software to view this site.
Many features on the site, such as video playback, may not work properly when using adblocking software.
Please whitelist our domain or disable your adblocker to access all features and videos.
Jasmin Strange try 2nd minute
After the Jillaroos thrashed England 90-4 in Las Vegas last month, IRL Chair Troy Grant said changes to the women’s eligibility criteria may be considered ahead of the World Cup in 2026.
“Given the lopsided result in Vegas it is certainly something that has been raised,” Grant told NRL.com.
“Because of the exceptional pathways in the NRLW, it has been suggested that there should be a differentiation between the Jillaroos and everyone else.”
For Strange, it is not yet an issue and the 22-year-old revealed how she had reached out to England team management before the historic Test in Vegas to ensure they were aware of her ambition to represent her English heritage.
England coach Stuart Barrow said after the match that he had wanted to give players developed in the domestic Women’s Super League a chance to test themselves against the Jillaroos, but would now consider heritage players.
“I had already put my hat in the ring for England, but I don’t think they really considered taking girls who weren’t playing in the Super League until after that Vegas game,” Strange said.
“I am eligible for New Zealand too, but I think it is pretty cool that I can play for the Māori All Stars, so if I was to play for England, I would be able to represent both sides of my family.
“Mum is begging me to play for England because she knows that at some stage I might have to make a choice, but that is where I am leaning.
“It’s something I have been thinking about for a few years, and I know that I would have so much family support in England, so I really hope I get the opportunity to represent them.”
Strange has played for Māori All Stars since 2023 and said it had been a great experience to learn about that side of her culture, particularly with her debut being in Rotorua.
“My dad’s side of the family is New Zealand Māori and Norwegian, so that is obviously why I am white and blonde,” she said.
“I have played for the Māori three times now which is awesome. The first time was in Rotorua and my grandmother is actually from there, so that was pretty cool.
"She went to school there before moving over to Australia with her family when she was 18. She came to watch me play that game and that was a really amazing experience for all of us.
"We got up at 4am and went for a drive to look at all of the sites from my pepeha, which was amazing and obviously made us feel really connected.”
