Jasmin Strange among four potential debutants in England World Cup squad

Jasmin Strange has been named in England’s 23-player squad for the 2026 women’s Rugby League World Cup, becoming one of four uncapped players who could make their international debuts at the tournament. The Australia-born Sydney Roosters second-rower qualifies through her English mother. Her selection gives England another NRLW-based option as head coach Stuart Barrow prepares for group matches against Wales, Australia and Samoa.

Barrow announced the squad on 28 September after reducing a wider group of 40 players to 23. Strange, 23, is joined among the potential debutants by Leeds Rhinos’ Connie Boyd, Canterbury Bulldogs’ Hope Millard and Wigan Warriors’ Lucie Sams. All four have places in the squad; whether they make their first England appearances will depend on selection for individual matches.

Why Strange’s selection stands out

Strange’s mother, Adele, is from Yorkshire, and Strange told Barrow that she wanted to represent England, according to NRL.com. The outlet reported that she was eligible for Australia, England and New Zealand. Her parents met in England, where her father John played rugby league before beginning his coaching career. John is now the Sydney Roosters women’s head coach.

Barrow called the inclusion of Australian-based heritage players a first for the England women’s programme. BBC Sport reported that eligibility rules were relaxed this year, allowing players to represent more than one of the three tier-one nations: Australia, New Zealand and England. Strange’s call-up is therefore significant beyond her possible debut, though a squad place alone does not establish that she will play in the World Cup.

Five players from the NRLW

Strange and Millard are two of five NRLW players in Barrow’s squad. The others are Newcastle Knights’ Georgia Roche, North Queensland’s Fran Goldthorp and Canberra Raiders’ Hollie-Mae Dodd. Millard, a Canterbury Bulldogs prop, was born in Widnes while her father Shane was playing in England, according to NRL.com. Like Strange, she has yet to make her England debut.

Goldthorp brings previous World Cup experience. She last represented England in rugby league at the 2022 tournament, making four appearances and scoring three tries, according to Sky Sports and NRL.com. The Australian-based group sits alongside players selected from the Women’s Super League, giving Barrow a squad drawn from both competitions.

Barrow said cutting the group from 40 to 23 involved difficult decisions. He described the final squad as having the right balance of experience and youth and said the arrival of Australian-based heritage players was ‘an exciting moment for the programme’. He also pointed to England camps, a trip to France and his assessment of players in the Super Four games as parts of the selection process.

The domestic selections

Wigan Warriors supply nine players, including all three nominees for this year’s Woman of Steel award: Jenna Foubister, Eva Hunter and Megan Williams. Leeds Rhinos have five selections, among them Boyd and fellow Young Player of the Year nominee Ruby Bruce. Those two clubs account for 14 of the 23 squad places.

Women’s Super League champions York Valkyrie are represented by forward Liv Wood after their Grand Final victory over Wigan. Huddersfield Giants’ Amelia Brown, identified in the reports as the competition’s leading try-scorer, is also selected. St Helens provide Jodie Cunningham and Vicky Whitfield; Whitfield is set for her fourth World Cup, while Cunningham plans to retire after the tournament.

The full squad is Keara Bennett, Connie Boyd, Amelia Brown, Ruby Bruce, Mary Coleman, Evie Cousins, Jodie Cunningham, Anna Davies, Hollie-Mae Dodd, Jenna Foubister, Fran Goldthorp, Eva Hunter, Molly Jones, Hope Millard, Lucy Murray, Georgia Roche, Isabel Rowe, Lucie Sams, Jasmin Strange, Vicky Whitfield, Megan Williams, Georgia Wilson and Liv Wood.

England’s World Cup schedule

England open against Wales in Perth on 17 October, then play Australia on 24 October before meeting Samoa in Wollongong on 30 October. The top two teams in their four-team group advance to the semi-finals, scheduled for 7 and 8 November. The final is scheduled for 15 November.

The men’s, women’s and wheelchair World Cups will run concurrently. Most matches are being staged in Australia, while Papua New Guinea’s men’s and women’s teams are due to play two pool matches each in their own country. For England’s women, the immediate task is preparation: the announced squad sets out Barrow’s tournament options, but the four uncapped players’ first appearances remain to be determined.