Jones, Harrison and Burton in the running as World Rugby names 2026 nominees

Three England players are in the running for major individual honours in women's rugby union, after World Rugby named its 2026 nominees on Monday. World Rugby announced the Player of the Year, Breakthrough Player of the Year and Try of the Year lists together.

Megan Jones leads the England contenders. The 30-year-old is captain of the Red Roses, England's women's team, and she has been nominated for Player of the Year for a second year in a row. Zoe Harrison, who is 28 and plays fly-half (the player who directs the attack and takes most of the kicks), is also on the list. BBC Sport reports that Harrison scored 88 points from kicks at goal for England in 2026.

The four Player of the Year nominees are Jones, Harrison, Canada's DaLeaka Menin and New Zealand's Kaipo Olsen-Baker. The award is for standout performances across the 2026 season. Last year's winner was Canada's Sophie de Goede, who beat Jones to the title.

Abi Burton is on the Try of the Year shortlist. Her score against Australia in the WXV Global Series, the women's international competition that ran in September, is one of the options. A try is worth five points and comes from grounding the ball over the opposition's try line.

The winner of the Player of the Year award will be announced after the final WXV matches. England's next game in that competition is against the United States on Friday, 30 October, kick-off 21:15 GMT.

England come into that match with plenty of recent history behind them. They won an eighth successive Women's Six Nations title in May. Their 41-match unbeaten run then came to an end after back-to-back defeats by Canada, a result that shifted the mood around the squad.

Nominations do not decide the award, of course. Voting and the final announcement still lie ahead, and the WXV results will feed into the picture. For now, the list says something simple: the women's game has plenty of players and moments worth talking about.