England Women will begin their preparations for the Autumn’s World Cup and the mid-season test against France by returning to training in Leeds on Saturday.
Head coach Stuart Barrow has named a 33-strong National Performance Squad ahead of the team’s first training camp of the year, with the group then meeting monthly before the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup resumes in March. They will then reconvene for the trip to France on the weekend of 25/26 July, with the match serving as a key warm-up ahead of preparations intensifying for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
The squad features 31 players from the Betfred Women’s Super League (BWSL), plus NRLW-based stars Fran Goldthorp and Hollie-Mae Dodd, who will join the squad before heading back to Australia for their pre-season. It marks a first return to the international setup since 2024 for Goldthorp, who spent the last NRLW off-season back in the UK playing rugby union with Loughborough.
St Helens winger Leah Burke also returns to the national setup for the first time since 2024 after missing the whole of 2025 with an ACL injury. Burke has six England caps and 10 international tries to her name and is one of nine Saints players named in the squad.
2025 treble winner Wigan Warriors have seen 11 players selected, including reigning Woman of Steel Eva Hunter and Young Player of the Year Isabel Rowe. Seven players have been named from Leeds Rhinos, while York Valkyrie have seen four players selected.
One of those Leeds players named is prop Izzy Northrop, but she will miss this weekend’s session as she is currently travelling, while Georgia Roche also remains part of the NPS but will link up with the squad later in the year as she is now living full-time in Australia.
“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,” said Barrow.
“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.
“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.”
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), Isabel 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)