England Women Squad 2026: Leeds Rhinos Stars Named (Leeds 2026)

Key Points

• Squad Selection: Head coach Stuart Barrow names his 23-player England Women squad for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
• Leeds Rhinos Representation: Five Leeds Rhinos players are included: Evie Cousins, Keara Bennett, Ruby Bruce, Lucy Murray, and Connie Boyd.
• Debutants and Heritage Players: Four potential debutants are featured, including NRLW Grand Finalist and English-heritage player Jasmine Strange from the Sydney Roosters, alongside Connie Boyd, Hope Millard, and Lucie Sams.
• NRLW Stars Return: Fran Goldthorp returns to the national setup for the first time since the 2022 World Cup, joining fellow Australia-based stars Georgia Roche and Hollie-Mae Dodd.
• Domestic Excellence: All three nominees for the Woman of Steel Award (Jenna Foubister, Eva Hunter, and Megan Williams) are selected alongside six Wigan Warriors teammates, Betfred Women’s Super League champions York Valkyrie representative Liv Wood, and leading try-scorer Amelia Brown from Huddersfield Giants.
• Experienced Core: St Helens veteran Vicky Whitfield is set to represent England at her fourth World Cup, joined by club teammate and loose forward Jodie Cunningham.

Leeds (The Leeds Times) September 28, 2026 –Leeds have strong representation in the national setup as five Rhinos Women’s players—Evie Cousins, Keara Bennett, Ruby Bruce, Lucy Murray, and Connie Boyd—have been named by head coach Stuart Barrow in his 23-player squad bound for the tournament. Among them, Young Player of the Year nominees Connie Boyd and Ruby Bruce have been officially recognised for their stellar domestic efforts during the season.

Who are the new faces and international inclusions joining the England squad?

Barrow’s squad features four potential debutants. This group is headlined by 23-year-old second-rower Jasmine Strange of the Sydney Roosters, an NRLW Grand Finalist who qualifies to represent the nation through her English-born mother. Strange is set to link up directly with the England squad in Perth following her side’s clash against the Brisbane Broncos on Sunday, October 4. She is joined by fellow potential debutants Connie Boyd of Leeds Rhinos, Hope Millard of the Canterbury Bulldogs, and Lucie Sams of the Wigan Warriors.

Additionally, Fran Goldthorp is set to represent England for the first time since the 2022 World Cup—where she made four appearances and scored three tries. Goldthorp is selected alongside two other England players based in the NRLW: Georgia Roche of the Newcastle Knights and Hollie-Mae Dodd of the Canberra Raiders.

How is domestic Super League talent represented in the national team?

Domestic dominance is strongly reflected across the selection. All three nominees for this season’s Woman of Steel Award—Jenna Foubister, Eva Hunter, and Megan Williams—have been selected. They will discover who has been crowned the season’s outstanding player on Tuesday night, September 29, before flying out to Australia the following Thursday alongside six of their Wigan Warriors teammates.

Furthermore, the newly crowned Betfred Women’s Super League champions York Valkyrie are represented by Liv Wood, while the competition’s leading try-scorer, Amelia Brown of the Huddersfield Giants, has also earned her place.

St Helens loose forward Jodie Cunningham is joined in the squad by club teammate Vicky Whitfield, with the 34-year-old set to pull on the national shirt at her fourth World Cup.

What did head coach Stuart Barrow say about the selection process and squad balance?

Reflecting on the challenging task of finalising his roster, England Women head coach Stuart Barrow offered his congratulations to every player selected. He stated that the standard across the wider group had been outstanding throughout the season, which made the selection process incredibly challenging.

Barrow explained that at the start of the year, management set out a clear selection timeline with the players, outlining the standards, milestones, and opportunities that would contribute to the final choice.

Throughout the season, the team held multiple England camps, travelled to France, and Barrow attended all the Super Four games to assess contenders.

Narrowing the squad down from 40 players to a final 23 involved some difficult decisions, but coaching staff believe they have the right balance of experience and youth to compete on the world stage. Barrow also highlighted that it is an exciting moment for the programme with the inclusion of Australian-based heritage players for the first time, bringing together talent from both the NRLW and the Women’s Super League to create a unique blend of quality and experience.

Looking ahead, Barrow emphasised that focus now turns entirely to preparation, noting that while the team recognises the challenges awaiting them at a World Cup, they travel with a squad that believes in itself, embraces the responsibility of representing England, and is determined to make the nation proud.

Who comprises the full 23-player England Women World Cup squad?

The complete 23-player squad selected for the tournament features: Keara Bennett (Leeds Rhinos), Connie Boyd (Leeds Rhinos), Amelia Brown (Huddersfield Giants), Ruby Bruce (Leeds Rhinos), Mary Coleman (Wigan Warriors), Evie Cousins (Leeds Rhinos), Jodie Cunningham (St Helens), Anna Davies (Wigan Warriors), Hollie-Mae Dodd (Canberra Raiders), Jenna Foubister (Wigan Warriors), Fran Goldthorp (North Queensland), Eva Hunter (Wigan Warriors), Molly Jones (Wigan Warriors), Hope Millard (Canterbury Bulldogs), Lucy Murray (Leeds Rhinos), Georgia Roche (Newcastle Knights), Isabel Rowe (Wigan Warriors), Lucie Sams (Wigan Warriors), Jasmine Strange (Sydney Roosters), Vicky Whitfield (St Helens), Megan Williams (Wigan Warriors), Georgia Wilson (Wigan Warriors), and Liv Wood (York Valkyrie).

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Background of this development

The inclusion of five Leeds Rhinos players in the national setup comes as the culmination of an intense domestic season in the Betfred Women’s Super League and an evolving international calendar. Women’s rugby league has experienced significant structural growth, marked by the expansion of talent pathways, competitive Super Four stages, and international fixtures ranging from domestic camps to overseas tests in France.

Concurrently, the increasing professionalisation of the sport—highlighted by the growing footprint of English players in the Australian NRLW such as Fran Goldthorp, Georgia Roche, and Hollie-Mae Dodd, alongside heritage selections like Jasmine Strange—has created a truly global talent pool for the national team ahead of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup in Australia.

Prediction

This squad announcement marks a pivotal turning point for the Leeds Rhinos community and the wider club faithful. Having five players selected validates the high-performance culture cultivated within the Rhinos’ women’s pathway, serving as a powerful inspirational milestone for aspiring young players in the region.

For the supporters, watching homegrown talents like Connie Boyd, Ruby Bruce, Keara Bennett, Lucy Murray, and Evie Cousins step onto the global stage reinforces local pride and deepens engagement with the women’s game. As these athletes face elite international competition down under, their exposure to high-pressure World Cup environments is expected to elevate the standard of play upon their return, ultimately driving greater competitiveness and enthusiasm across the local rugby league landscape.