York Valkyrie hold off Wigan to claim record third Women’s Super League title

York Valkyrie beat Wigan Warriors 8-6 in the Women’s Super League Grand Final at the Brick Community Stadium on Sunday, 27 September, becoming the first club to win the competition’s Grand Final three times. York led by two points at half-time and spent much of the second half defending that lead as Wigan pressed for a decisive score.

Sinead Peach scored York’s only try, while Ellie Williamson supplied the conversion and a penalty. Mia Atherton scored Wigan’s try, converted by Isabel Rowe. Neither team added a point after the interval, leaving the first-half penalty as the difference between them.

How York built the lead

York made the faster start. Peach broke towards the Wigan line before taking the ball from acting half and spinning through the defence to score in the ninth minute. Williamson’s conversion gave the Valkyrie a 6-0 lead. York continued to threaten in the opening stages, but Wigan found an answer through Jenna Foubister.

Foubister broke through York’s defence and passed inside to Atherton, who scored in the 18th minute shortly after coming off the bench. Rowe converted to level the final at 6-6. York then needed Amelie Lenham to stop Anna Davies near the corner as Wigan threatened to take the lead.

York head coach Leon Pryce told the BBC he believed Hunter should have been sent off for a forearm to Williamson’s throat. The BBC reported that Pryce said the incident did not affect the result. The scoring record shows York’s final points came from Williamson’s earlier penalty.

A second half decided in defence

Wigan had most of the pressure after half-time. York’s club report described repeated attacks close to its line, while Total Rugby League reported that York struggled to get out of its own half during stretches of the second half. The Warriors created openings, but could not turn their possession and territory into another try.

Lenham’s defensive work was central to York’s escape. Total Rugby League described two tackles in which she forced Davies into touch before the Wigan winger could score, including an intervention in the 71st minute. York’s own report credited Lenham with three try-saving tackles across the match. She was named player of the match.

Wigan also held firm when York had chances. Liv Wood was stopped near the line shortly after half-time, and Lenham had earlier gone close to scoring. That kept the margin at two points and left York’s defenders with no room for a conceded try as Wigan resumed its attacks.

The BBC reported that York’s Lisa Parker made 47 tackles while playing with a broken hand. The figure underlines the amount of defensive work required as Wigan searched for a way through. York’s line held until the final whistle, completing a scoreless second half.

Why the result matters

The league organiser described York as the first side to win the Women’s Super League Grand Final three times. Their previous victories came in 2023 and 2024, making this their third title in four seasons. Wigan arrived as favourites, according to the BBC, but York had already been the only side to beat them during the season.

York achieved the win without fullback Tara Jane Stanley, whom the BBC said was absent through concussion. The club said the trophy was Pryce’s first as York head coach. For a side facing a Wigan team that spent much of the second half on the attack, the result rested on a first-half lead and repeated stops near its own line.

York’s Agnes Wood told BBC Radio York that the players were motivated by a sense that they had been given little credit. She said they had not made the strongest start to the season and described the second-half task as scrambling to prevent Wigan from scoring. Wood also credited the coaching staff with backing the players throughout the campaign.

The final closed the 2026 Women’s Super League season. The league organiser said the Woman of Steel award would be announced at the Rugby League Awards in Manchester on Tuesday, 29 September; Wigan’s Foubister, Hunter and Megan Williams were among the nominees listed. That award remains to be decided, but the championship belongs to York after a final settled by two points.