Seven players to bid farewell to Test rugby for Barbarians

Seven international players are set to play their final international rugby matches as they line up for the Barbarians against the Springbok Women on Saturday 7 September at the DHL Stadium.

The recently named squad is made up of 23 players, seven of whom will bow out in the famous black and white stripes.

Of the seven are three former England players and one representative from the USA, Wales, Ireland, and New Zealand.

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

The most-capped Black Fern of all time, Kendra Cocksedge, will be flying the flag for the current World Champions after announcing her retirement following their victory over England in 2022.

Over the course of her 15-year career, Cocksedge earned 68 Test caps, scored 382 points, and won three Rugby World Cup titles.

In 2015 she was named World Rugby’s international Women’s Player of the Year and in 2019 she became the first woman to win the Kelvin Tremain Memorial Trophy for Player of the Year.

In addition, Cocksedge was just the fourth woman to reach 100 matches for Canterbury.

Ten years after winning the 2014 Rugby World Cup with England, Rachael Burford will bid farewell to international rugby playing alongside World Cup-winning teammates Laura Keates, Rochelle Clark, and Lydia Thompson.

Burford earned 84 caps for England and was involved in four World Cups and two Six Nations Grand Slams.

Thompson, who was ruled out of most of the 2014 World Cup campaign through injury after scoring two tries in England’s opening match, went on to feature at a further two RWCs and will make her final international appearance for the Barbarians with 47 England caps to her name.

She also won a bronze medal with England sevens at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Emily Scott, who represented England in addition to playing for Team GB and England Sevens at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and 2018 Commonwealth Games respectively, will also mark her final international involvement after announcing her retirement earlier in the year.

Scott and Burford both represented Harlequins together and were part of the 2021 Premier 15s title, with fly-half Scott also previously winning the competition with Saracens.

Former Ireland captain Claire Molloy retired from international rugby in 2021 after representing the XVs side at three Rugby World Cups.

The flanker captained Ireland sevens at the World Cup in 2013, the same year that she was involved in Ireland’s Six Nations Grand Slam, and led the XVs side at their home World Cup in 2017.

She announced she was stepping away from rugby in July, calling time on her career after playing for Bristol Bears for two seasons.

Welsh prop Cerys Hale represented her country on 49 occasions and at three World Cups. Her final season culminated in winning back-to-back PWR titles with Gloucester-Hartpury, and will continue to be involved in rugby in her role as Dragons Women’s Pathway Manager.

The USA’s Alycia Washington will also play her last international match in the black and white Barbarians jersey following the announcement of her retirement last Friday.

Washington made her debut for the USA Eagles in 2015 against the Red Roses, and was involved in their best-ever finish at a Rugby World Cup since 1991 when they finished fourth in 2017. The second-row won 26 international caps and co-founded the XV Foundation in 2020.

The match against the Springbok Women will kick off prior to the men’s Rugby Championship fixture between the Springboks and All Blacks.

The Springbok Women are in the process of preparing for WXV 2, which they will host for a second year this September.

Barbarian Women to face South Africa

Forwards:

Kathryn Buggy (Ireland)

Rochelle Clarke (England)

Ciara Cooney (Ireland)

Cerys Hale (Wales)

Laura Keates (England)

Joanna Kitlinski (USA)

Rownita Marston-Mulhearn (England)

Charmaine McMenamin (New Zealand)

Abi Meyrick (Wales)

Claire Molloy (Ireland)

Sera Naigama (Australia)

Alycia Washington (USA)

Backs:

Rachael Burford (England)

Kendra Cocksedge (New Zealand)

Kathryn Dane (Ireland)

Cheta Emba (USA)

Carla Hohepa (New Zealand)

Sarah Law (Scotland)

Rachel Lund (England)

Celia Quansah (England)

Amber Reed (England)

Emily Scott (England)

Lydia Thompson (England)

Coaching staff:

Head Coach: Linda Itunu (New Zealand)

Assistant Coach: Patricia Garcia Rodriguez (Spain)

Barbarian Women Director: Fiona Stockley (England)

Team Manager: Anita Velinova (Finland)