NRLW stars in England squad for RLWC26
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Cowboys back Fran Goldthorp and Raiders forward Hollie-Mae Dodd have been named in an England training squad to begin preparations for RLWC26.
England coach Stuart Barrow named the NRLW stars in a 33-strong National Performance Squad ahead of an upcoming training camp in Leeds on January 10.
Goldthorp, who won the 2025 North Queensland players' player award after switching from fullback to the right wing, returns to the England setup for the first time since 2024.
Dodd is another key figure in England’s World Cup plans and will join the performance squad before she returns to Canberra for her fourth season with the Raiders.
Knights playmaker Georgia Roche, who is based fulltime in Australia and works in a development role for the club, was not included in the training squad.
Roche, 25, Goldthorp and Dodd (both 22-years-of-age) made history in 2023 when they became the first English players to sign with NRLW clubs.
There are also no NRLW players with English heritage, such as Roosters stars Jasmine Strange and Jocelyn Kelleher or Bulldogs halfback Tayla Preston.
Former Eels secondrower Paige Travis, who has returned to England after playing last season in the NRLW, has been named in the squad.
Travis is one of eight St Helens players in the squad, which includes winger Leah Burke, who returns to the England setup for the first time since 2024 after recovering from a knee injury.
“2026 is another huge year for the England Women squad with the Rugby League World Cup taking place in October, and our preparations are stepping up a notch now that we are less than 10 months away from our opening game against Wales," Barrow said.
Gold star for Goldthorp
All three pool matches are double-headers with the England Men's team, while England Wheelchair will also play in Wollongong on the same day.
England Women will meet monthly for training before the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup resumes in March and will then reconvene for a mid-season Test against France.
Barrow said the Test in France on the weekend of July 25/26 will serve as a key warm-up for IRL Rugby League World Cup 2026.
“With players currently still in the off-season, this squad will continue to grow and develop throughout the year based on individual performances in the Betfred Women’s Super League and Challenge Cup," he said.
“As part of our ongoing preparations, we’re very much looking forward to travelling to France in July. The timing of this fixture gives us a great opportunity to assess where we are as a squad just a few months out from the World Cup.”
Hollie-Mae Dodd Try
The squad features 31 players from the Betfred Women’s Super League (BWSL), including 11 who have progressed through England’s Diploma of Sporting Excellence (DiSE) pathway, underlining the strength and depth of the national development system.
Betfred Women’s Super League champions Wigan Warriors are strongly represented, with 11 players selected, including reigning Woman of Steel Eva Hunter and Young Player of the Year Isabel Rowe.
England Women performance squad
Savannah Andrade (York Valkyrie), Mia-Jayne Atherton (Wigan Warriors), Grace Banks (Wigan Warriors), Keara Bennett (Leeds Rhinos), Ruby Bruce (Leeds Rhinos), Leah Burke (St Helens), Caitlin Casey (St Helens), Mary Coleman (Wigan Warriors), Evie Cousins (Leeds Rhinos), Jodie Cunningham (St Helens), Anna Davies (Wigan Warriors), Ellise Derbyshire (Wigan Warriors), Hollie-Mae Dodd (Canberra Raiders), Ella Donnelly (Leeds Rhinos) Jenna Foubister (Wigan Warriors), Fran Goldthorp (North Queensland Cowboys), Amy Hardcastle (St Helens), Shona Hoyle Holdsworth (St Helens), Eva Hunter (Wigan Warriors), Molly Jones (Wigan Warriors), Erin McDonald (St Helens), Katie Mottershead (St Helens), Lucy Murray (Leeds Rhinos), Izzy Northrop (Leeds Rhinos), Eboni Partington (York Valkyrie), Tamzin Renouf (York Valkyrie), Isable Rowe (Wigan Warriors), Bella Sykes (Leeds Rhinos), Paige Travis (St Helens), Vicky Whitfield (St Helens), Megan Williams (Wigan Warriors), Georgia Wilson (Wigan Warriors), Liv Wood (York Valkyrie)
