Red Roses captain declares teammate ‘the best player in the world’

England captain Zoe Aldcroft believes teammate Megan Jones is “the best player in the world” at the moment, praising the popular Red Roses centre who is one of three nominees for World Rugby’s Women’s 15s Player of the Year.

World Rugby revealed its nominees for two of the sport’s most prestigious individual honours ahead of this weekend’s 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup Final, with Jones in the mix to be crowned the world’s best.

Canada’s Sophie de Geode and Jorja Miller from New Zealand are also in the running for the top award. Miller has been nominated for 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year as well, along with teammate Braxton Sorensen-McGee and Fiji’s Josifini Neihamu.

Canada captain Alex Tessier on being the dark horse in RWC

Canada captain Alex Tessier on being the dark horse in RWC

 

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Jones has been a consistently high performer throughout the Red Roses’ World Cup campaign, with the midfielder scoring three tries and making 42 tackles in five matches, including a particularly impressive performance in the semi-final win over France.

Ellie Kildunne received Player of the Match honours after scoring two tries in the 35-17 triumph, but the fullback – who is the reigning World Rugby Player of the Year – gave Jones a shoutout post-match, with the 28-year-old securing four turnovers and scoring one try.

While the Player of the Year won’t be crowned until after Saturday’s World Cup Final between England and Canada at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, Red Roses skipper Aldcroft has already declared Jones the best of the best.

“I think it’s more than deserved. She is the best player in the world and I think she has proved that over and over,” Aldcroft told reporters.

“She’s just an amazing person to have in the Red Roses team and honestly, she’s just an absolutely unbelievable person as well.”

England have won 62 of their last 63 Test matches, with their one loss coming in the last World Cup Final three years ago in New Zealand. With a chance to go one better, the Red Roses will need to defeat the world’s second-ranked side, who ended the Black Ferns’ reign last week.

New Zealand won the 2017 and 2022 tournaments, but their time as champions has come to an end. Canada’s first-half point-scoring blitz left them in a strong position on Friday in Bristol, before the Maple Leafs hung on for a historic semi-final triumph.

But England’s incredible winning streak will leave their fans daring to dream of World Cup glory, with about 82,000 fans expected at a sold-out Allianz Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It’s set to be one of the biggest Rugby World Cup Final crowds ever – women’s or men’s.

“It’s about not making it bigger than it is, we know it’s a big thing and we have a process that we can stick to,” Aldcroft explained.

“We are a very connected bunch and we have been there for each other, making sure we still have fun with it. When we’re on the pitch, we’re on it. When we’re off the pitch, we’re having fun, enjoying each other’s company and having that relaxed environment.”