After 19 months out of action, it’s little wonder Wigan’s Rachel Thompson can’t wait for Betfred Women’s Super League to kick-off.
The England centre, 28, attended today’s season launch at Headingley knowing she is edging ever closer to her long-awaited return. Wigan captain Thompson didn’t play at all last year and missed the World Cup after an horrific knee injury. Recollecting a fateful play-off game against Castleford in September 2021, she said: "I dislocated my kneecap, snapped my ACL, my MCL and my meniscus.
“I had it reconstructed in the November and had to have another op to have some of it cleaned out. It has been a tough, old journey. A long 19 months on the sidelines. Not that I’m counting! There’s a lot of girls in our squad that I haven’t even had an opportunity to play with let alone captain. But I’m probably about a month away from playing now. For me it’s just about just getting back on the pitch but also bringing that leadership style to the team and really stepping up a gear from what we did last year.”
Thompson feared she might have to quit at some stages. She said: "It was always a possibility. There were times when the knee constantly didn’t feel good or wasn’t working properly. There were times when I felt I might have to hang up the boots but the club was great. I had a lot of good people around me who said ‘Just stick with and trust the process.’ It has come good and for the past couple of months it has felt fine.”
Super League returns with a rematch of last year’s Grand Final when champions Leeds Rhinos host York Valkyrie in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Easter Sunday. Both sides will pay their players for the first time in 2023, another sign that the sport is growing on the back of an excellent home World Cup. And the game forms part of a double-header with the men’s Super League fixture between Leeds and Huddersfield Giants.
Wigan, who start at Warrington on April 16, were left trophyless last year but they hope to challenge this time around. Thompson has been with them since day one, becoming their first signing in 2018 when she ended the year by scoring a hat-trick in the Grand Final win over Leeds. The sport has grown massively since then, expanding to 12 clubs this year with the addition of Leigh Leopards and Salford Red Devils.
Thompson added: “The girls put on a great show at the World Cup and they are now just getting the recognition they deserve. We see it all the time: the hard work and hours they put in after work but the world doesn’t. But now it’s good to see the games being on Sky, the World Cup was on the BBC and it’s really exciting.”
