Mum's the word for Travis on St Helens return

Paige Travis enjoyed her spell in the Australian NRLW but is back now to fuel St Helens' push for trophies [Getty Images]

Nobody could be happier about England forward Paige Travis' return to St Helens in 2026 than mum Debbie.

The mother-daughter bond shared by the pair had to stretch a long way during the 26-year-old's season in the NRLW with Parramatta Eels in 2025.

Debbie even managed to fly down to see her in action, but mostly it was her support network from afar that paid the most dividends.

"I think I woke my mum up a million times," Travis told BBC Sport.

"I'd be like, 'I need my mum', and I'd ring her, and she'd be saying on the phone, 'It's four in the morning'."

Being away from family and the life she'd known was a sacrifice worth making, an opportunity to develop and mix it with the world's best in a sport she has loved since her first taste of it as a young girl.

"I was really fortunate I had my partner who came with me, but we both missed family, which was really hard," Travis added.

"You're missing out on parties, birthdays, christenings… Christmas was hard. Things like that are really tough, but when you're there doing what you love and what you'd said you always wanted to do, you think, I'll suck it up for now because this is why I want to be here.

"It was a big driving force in keeping me motivated to stay throughout the season, because there were times that I had those 'I just need my mum' moments, or my 'I need to go home' moments, and you can't do that while you're there."

Now Travis is back and ready to push Saints forward after a 2025 tinged with disappointment on all fronts as the Super League campaign gets underway this weekend.

Developing as a player and person

Although it was Littleborough Rugby Union where Travis got the bug for chucking a ball around and tackling everything that moves, it was in rugby league where she thrived.

Her athleticism, enthusiasm, right balance of aggression and control, plus her skill set, made her a key figure for St Helens and then England.

After a year in the elite competition, Travis has learnt much about herself as a person and as an athlete.

"I think it's worked on parts of my game I didn't really realise were weaknesses," Travis said. "There's stuff I've got better at through just having that time to train as more of a professional athlete, and being in those environments with really experienced players who've played for their country or in State of Origin.

"It helped me develop as a player, but I also think it's just helped me and made me appreciate the people I had here as well."

While the league is smaller than that of the men's National Rugby League and the schedule shorter, the depth of investment in the NRLW is huge compared to that of the Women's Super League, and so is the scrutiny.

"Having the time to have nutrition talks one-to-one, your strength and conditioning programmes are in-depth and personalised because they have the time and the money," Travis added.

"It's nearly at full-time over there, so there's that extra time you can have to yourself to be a professional athlete and be the best you can be. It's helped me manage my time around that and what to do."

'Rucks are so quick' in NRLW

Paige Travis was a winner in her first game of NRLW for Parramatta Eels against Cronulla Sharks [Getty Images]

As a star of the English game, both at club and Test level, Travis had plenty of games under her belt before taking to the field in the NRLW.

However, the quality of the pitches, the conditioning of the players and the depth of the junior pathways all added up to a faster, leaner game down under.

"It was a bit of a shock when I first started playing, especially when I moved into the middle, you're in there and you're working hard and ruck speed is really important," Travis said.

"Everybody's quite skilful as well; even the middle forwards are skilful, and everybody can chuck a good ball around.

"Equally, it's just rugby and it's just tough. Running at me or running at one of them, it felt the same. When you're a forward and that's what you do - it's a bit different for the backs, and I can't comment on that - as a forward you just run hard and you tackle hard, and that's what I tried to do."

What was refreshing, and sometimes sobering for Travis, was being able to see the games on TV, every week, and with the full broadcast treatment.

"It's broadcast and shown really well, and that opportunity to watch yourself back constantly and to get your stats back really quick was like, 'Woah! That's good!'," she said.

"You can see where you're going wrong, but it's also quite scary because you can think 'Oh, I've had a really bad game' when you see your stats are low.

"There's no waiting till the dust settles on a Monday morning, that was hard; but such a good, rewarding thing as well that you can watch yourself back."

Influencing the next generation

Paige Travis' specially-tied 'dinosaur plait' has been copied by fans who want to show their support [SWPIX]

Coming back to St Helens was a no-brainer for Travis, given her long-association with the club and her desire to play a key role in England's 2026 World Cup campaign.

She describes head coach Dec Hardman as "like a second dad", while her teammates are "a family" who she would get up in the middle of the night to watch during his time in Australia.

The fans too are an important part of the attraction, and the extra attention Travis has received for representing English rugby league in the NRLW has made her a favourite.

"Having my hair the way I do [when I play], a lot of the young girls copy the style, and it's really cute," Travis added.

"I met a little girl at one of the preseason games; she comes to all of my games, and she has her hair that way for school, for waking up, for going everywhere, and her mum has to keep redoing her hair, which I think is really cute.

"It's that part of the club, the Saints fans, that I've really missed."

Bounce back after setback

Travis' return comes as Saints come to terms with a familiar rival taking all three trophies last season in the shape of Wigan Warriors.

Their Challenge Cup thrashing by Wigan was the hardest to come to terms with, going down 42-6 and ending a four-year grip on the trophy in the process, while they were also beaten in the Grand Final in a much-tighter 16-12 affair.

Such painful memories are the ultimate motivation going into the 2026 campaign, and having already booked a Wembley return to face Wigan in the Challenge Cup, there is equal enthusiasm and drive to go one better in the league as well.

"We won the treble in 2021, and then after that didn't win a treble but won at least one piece of silverware every year, and even that didn't feel good enough because we'd tasted success and you want it all the time," Travis added.

"I don't think it's a bad thing; I do think it's good for our game that we have a lot of competition for winning things, but I also think for us as individuals and as a team.

"You can never write us off; you honestly can't. Last year was disappointing, but this year it's not just an expectation; it's a must, and there's a want, and that's to win silverware."

Whatever happens, Debbie Travis will be at every St Helens game supporting Paige, and without those middle-of-the-night phone calls to worry about.