England must take on Australia in their backyard in the World Cup semi-final
After England secured victory in the World Cup women's semi-final against Australia, coach Sarina Wigman admitted she may need to talk about the sporting rivalry between the two nations.
The nations have been antagonists for over 100 years in men's cricket and rugby, and now the rivalry is expanding into women's sports .
This summer, Australia and England went head to head in the final of the Women's World Cup and the World Netball Cup – the Australians took home both trophies, although the cricket series was tied – and the two old foes met in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup. In October last year, the “Red Roses” crushingly beat “Vallar” with a score of 41:5.
What makes the matches between Australia and England so special and what should the Lionesses be wary of before taking on the co-hosts in Sydney on Wednesday?
Telegraph Sport asked three women who participated in England's battles with Australia how they coped with this rivalry…
Heather Knight, England cricket captain Knight has faced Australia many times in her long career. Photo: Getty Images/Steve Bardens
First, good luck to Millie [Bright, Captain] and her team. They have shown a lot of strength and resilience in this competition, especially with their injuries. The way they've adapted their form and method is really impressive and I think it's always a good sign when a team can win games in multiple ways.
Any World Cup semi-final is a big game, but when you're playing against the hosts and the hosts are Australia, it's a little more edgy! Playing at home is both a blessing and a curse. I found that it really gave us momentum in 2017, but at the same time it raised expectations. When you play at home in front of a nation in desperate need of success, there is pressure.
I would accept that if I were England. It's not a case of nothing to lose – that never happens – but they can do a virtue by crashing Australia's big day and silencing the crowd. In the end, it will be an incredible day. It's going to be full, it's going to be loud, it's going to be a huge match – they won't need my tactical advice, but I know there's little better in sports than beating Australia.
Obviously, we are two nations that are good at women's sports. It comes from investments, culture and good structures. In many sports they are leading. It's a sports-mad nation and it's reflected in the way they build the women's game. Often this means they are at the top of the tree and everyone wants to take them down, so it's a compliment that we all love to beat them.
It was interesting to watch this tournament – fans, video reactions, unexpected results. How special would it be if England were able to continue their Euro victory last summer? They're going to have another fantastic tournament even if it ends in the semi-finals on Wednesday, but beating Australia to reach the World Cup final sounds pretty sweet.
Geva Mentor, English netball goalkeeper 
Geva Mentor lost to Australia in the last Netball World Cup final. Photo: Getty Images/Ashley Vlotman
For me personally, it [the rivalry] is tough because a lot of my best friends are Australians and I've been through so many ups and downs with them. But when you get on the court, it's your group of girls and you get into a fight.
If you are an athlete, you really have a sense of competition and you want to win, and everyone hates to lose to Australians. I don't think it's just a British thing, it's a worldwide thing because they've been so good at what they've been doing for so long. Along with that comes a sense of faith and just knowing that when they get on the court they will win and when they get on the field they will win.
It's so great to have that kind of rivalry. In sports. This is what you want.
My advice to Lionesses? First of all, keep everything inside. The crowd is very annoying as they love their team so turn it into a chant for yourself and stay in your bubble.
They have a skill set so it's only about performing during the day. The main thing is that they stay true to themselves and do their best to have fun and achieve results.
Kira Walsh: We're ready to silence the crowd Emily Scarratt, rugby center from England 
Emily Scarratt v Australia. Photo: Getty Images/Phil Walter
The rivalry is obviously very traditional in the Ashes or men's rugby, but it may be slightly different in women's rugby. It's definitely what it is, but maybe in the 15's we didn't really feel it that much because we don't play them that often and traditionally weren't at the same level.
However, when I've played in many sevens that have always been a fun rivalry, from the 2009 World Sevens Championship to the World Series of Sevens to the Commonwealth Games, the sevens have brought that rivalry to the fore.
I know what it's like to play hosts world championships [England beat France en route to victory in 2014 but lost to New Zealand in last year's final] and were aware of the crowd. England hosted the Euro last year, so they were on the other side. I would say take every opportunity to consume the crowd, whether they are rooting for you or against you. Personally, I don't care, I just enjoy the noise and the environment it creates.
I think Australia supports football more than ever before – I've seen videos of everyone watching the penalty against France on a plane – and it's cool to see. It should be a great game.
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