Harlequins housemates become rivals as Wales host Australia

Australia second row Kaitlan Leaney insists it will be “all serious” in Newport on Friday as she prepares to play against her housemate, Wales lock Abbie Fleming.

Harlequins team-mates Leaney and Fleming have each been selected to wear their country’s No.4 jersey at Rodney Parade, as Wales face Australia in the teams’ final WXV 2 warm-up match, eight days before they meet in the tournament itself.

The pair shared a house, of which Italy prop Silvia Turani was also a tenant, during the 2023/24 Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) season before the Australian returned home to help the Waratahs to the Super Rugby Women title.

Leaney, who signed on for another season with Quins on Wednesday, revealed the locks had exchanged good luck messages in their club’s WhatsApp chat but would wait until full-time in Newport to catch up properly.

“Abbie and I get on really well on and off the field at Quins and I love playing with her, she’s such a physical presence and has a really good energy on the field,” Leaney told RugbyPass.

“I’ll be pestering her in a couple of rucks but she’s very serious when it comes to game day, as am I, we’re representing our countries. We’ll have a laugh after the game together but on-field it will be all serious.”

The Australian also revealed the role that Fleming, fellow housemate Turani and their other Quins team-mates had played in helping her to settle at the club.

“She’s a lovely person,” Leaney said of Fleming. “She’s very caring, she’s always there for you.

“Coming from Australia I haven’t got any family in the UK and it’s been nice to have a good group of girls at Harlequins to make me feel very welcome and create our own little international family there. I value our friendship a lot.”

The 2024/25 PWR season will be third in which Leaney has played for Quins, and the second row believes playing in England has helped make her a better player.

“I've loved it so much,” Leaney said of her time at Quins. “There's a reason that I keep signing and coming back.

“I just think that the quality of game that you play [in the PWR] is incredible and the consistency of players you have there with obviously a lot of internationals and the quality of games and different teams.

“You know, there's fast running rugby but there's also a real big effort and focus on set piece and I definitely think that's an area in my game that I hold as a strength.

“So, it's been cool to go over there and keep growing in those parts of my game.”