They run, they pass the ball, they tackle ...

They're our rugby league girls, and they have recorded straight wins over the Jilleroos, becoming one of the few sports teams to stop the Australian conquest of almost everything. And there's a verbal hand-off to anyone suggesting such a relentless contact sport should not be for women.

Anne Thompson, who brought women's league to Hull, says it has now become an irrelevant question. "The players get a lot out of it," says Anne. "They enjoy the skills of the game and the physical side. Women also like the fact that it's a team game with a strong social side."

If the boys can come up smiling with the occasional black eye why shouldn't the girls? Donna Prime, scrum-half with Hull Dockers and a former member of the Great Britain squad, says: "There are a few injuries. I've had a broken nose and surgery on my knee, but this doesn't put me off."

Players come from many different walks of life and Donna is a beauty therapist at the Tao Clinic in Hull and also a qualified sports masseuse. "Men are becoming aware of the women's game now and we are getting a lot more support," she adds. "People are surprised to see how well women can play." Gail Johannessen, head coach of the Hull area's senior women's team, the newly-named Cottingham Vixens, recalls: "Men used to come to watch for a laugh, but now they come to see a good game."

When the Vixens and Dockers recently clashed for the first time, the match at the Hilltop ground in Cottingham was a real local derby. The players stuck at it for the full 80 minutes and carried the ball up non-stop. Both teams did their best to rise above heavy conditions and the Vixens emerged triumphant 6-0 with a first half try from hooker Donna Parker and the conversion from Kay Rollinson.

From a man's point of view, Bob Binns, press officer for the Cottingham Tigers, who have adopted the Vixens, says: "I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was good tackling, good running, good ball handling and a decent crowd."

Gail Johannessen, who is in her 10th year as a player and shares Vixens coaching duties with Dave Carter, adds: "The team spirit and desire to win were all there." Gail is a grade one senior coach having qualified alongside Hull Kingston Rovers coach Gary Wilkinson, Mark Aston, of Sheffield Eagles, and former Rovers scrum-half Paul Harkin.

Anne Thompson established women's league in the city after previously playing football and hockey. "There were a few teams in other parts of the north and I thought there ought to be one in Hull as well. I booked the Astroturf pitch at Costello Stadium and advertised for women who would like to play rugby to come down."

That was in 1989 and about 30 prospective players answered the call. Twenty lasted the pace and the Hull Vixens were born. The side won promotion in its first season and has stayed in the top flight every since.

About six years ago, Anne and a group of players broke away to form a new club, the Dockers, giving extra spice to the recent derby clash. "We wrote to local league clubs asking if we could use their facilities and Hull Dockers replied almost straightaway that they would like to run a women's section at their Willows ground," she said. Like the Vixens, the Dockers have made steady progress, collecting some silverware along the way. The two Hull clubs now include some leading players such as Vixens' Donna Parker, who toured Australia in 1996, and centre Joanne Taylor, a member of the Great Britain and Ireland squad in last autumn's women's world cup.

Debbie Rice and Lisa Hunter are on the international role of honour for the Dockers who, like the Vixens, cover Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria in their league programme. Despite the progress made by women's league over the last 15 years, leading figures in the game say there is still much to be done. "Although we are fairly well established, the number of teams is not increasing, which is a bit of a worry," says Anne Thompson.

There was no denying the British girls their slice of glory in the Rugbee.com World Series when they twice beat the Jilleroos before losing to New Zealand in the final.

Meanwhile in the Rugby League World Cup, the Australians were steamrollering all opposition. After running in a hat-trick against Samoa, pack star Bryan Fletcher observed: "I've never done that before - not even playing against my sister in the backyard."

Was he joking?

Interested in playing? Contact the Vixens on 805987 and the Dockers on 707976.