Why Meg Jones topped the RugbyPass Top 50 2026

It will come as little surprise to anyone that selecting the RugbyPass Top 50 Women’s Rugby Players 2026 was a real challenge.

Over the past year, we have seen players from across the world produce some brilliant performances. Since Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, we have witnessed outstanding competition in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, Pacific Four Series, WXV Global Series Challenger and WXV Global Series. That is before even considering players’ efforts in domestic competition.

All of that made compiling the list a challenging process, particularly when you consider we had to pour over 14 months of rugby since the last RugbyPass Top 50 Women’s Rugby Players list was published.

On that occasion, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe topped the rankings. However, having not played since the legendary Black Ferns wing helped her team finish third at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, we knew there would be a new player at the top of the pile.

We also knew from the outset that, whatever the final rankings looked like, there would be disagreements and alternative opinions. But that is an exciting part of the process, too. More people are thinking about women’s rugby, and the rankings provide another opportunity to get people talking about the game.

With the 2026/27 domestic seasons about to get underway, now is a good opportunity to take a closer look at the RugbyPass Top 50.

Meg Jones shone in 2026

When you look back at Meg Jones’ past 14 months, you are immediately struck by the consistency of her performances at the highest level. She played every Test and every minute of England’s Test year. It was phenomenal.

For the second consecutive year, the 30-year-old was nominated for World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year and named in the Women’s 15s Dream Team of the Year. She became Red Roses captain after winning Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, reached the Premiership Women’s Rugby final with Trailfinders Women and then led England to their first Guinness Women’s Six Nations title since their World Cup triumph.

The centre has been phenomenal for every team she has represented. Looking at the nature of her performances, Jones has consistently led by example. She has made countless tackles, produced line breaks, beaten defenders and, quite simply, performed her role to the highest possible standard.

“It’s funny, I never really play the game for any sort of accolade or any sort of congratulations,” Jones told RugbyPass. “I just see it as doing my job. Doing my job well.

“I thrive best when I’m in a good team, which I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of for many years with England. I’m very lucky that I’ve got the support and the people around me to allow me to do what I need to do.

“I’m also aware of how many amazing women’s rugby players there are in the game. It keeps getting better each year. Everyone keeps upping their level.

“I’ve just always backed myself and backed what I do. I’ve played this game my whole life, but never for the accolades. Although it is nice to get the recognition when you do.”

Of course, Jones also captained England as their 41-match unbeaten run came to an end against Canada in Ontario. A week later, the Red Roses had lost back-to-back matches for the first time in a decade.

Those defeats were a disappointing end to an otherwise outstanding year for Jones. England did, however, return to winning ways with a 55-12 victory over the USA Women’s Eagles to close out the year. By that point, the 30-year-old had done more than enough to justify her place at the top of the RugbyPass Top 50.

 

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The most competitive year ever

To understand why the RugbyPass Top 50 was so difficult to compile, you only have to look back over the past 12 months. There has been an extraordinary amount of high-quality women’s Test rugby, making it the perfect follow-up to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.

Consistency over an extended period was a key consideration when putting the rankings together. Jones certainly delivered on that front, but the margins were incredibly fine, with the England captain narrowly beating 2025 Women’s 15s Player of the Year Sophie de Goede to the top spot.

Canada’s performances at WXV Global Series were particularly impressive. Kévin Rouet’s side set out their ambition of beating England at the start of September. By the end of the series, they had played the world champions three times, recording two victories and a draw.

Sophie de Goede was outstanding in those victories, while DaLeaka Menin was named Player of the Match twice. Six Canadian players ultimately made the list, with Julia Omokhuale and Kiki Idowu among those who came desperately close to selection.

Of course the Black Ferns had a brilliant year. Finishing third at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 was a low for the six-time world champions. Kaipo Olsen-Baker was brilliant and voted 2026 Women’s 15s Player of the Year for her efforts. You can hardly argue with that. Despite splitting her time with the Black Ferns Sevens, Braxton Sorensen-McGee scored more Test points in a calendar year than any other player, while Sylvia Brunt was a staple of her teams’ midfield.

The USA Women’s Eagles also enjoyed an impressive WXV Global Series campaign. Jack Hanratty’s side burst into life, with Freda Tafuna particularly outstanding and Hope Rogers continuing to demonstrate why she is one of the most formidable players in the game. Bella Vogel and Georgie Perris-Redding also narrowly missed out on RugbyPass Top 50 selection.

There was also an opportunity to recognise the outstanding efforts of Clàudia Peña Hidalgo, who became the first Spanish player to feature on the list. The Harlequins centre was magnificent for her country as they secured another Rugby Europe Women’s Championship title, as well as impressing for her club side.

Wales also had two representatives, Keira Bevan and Alex Callender, after Sean Lynn’s side found some form towards the end of 2026. These are just a few examples of the depth of talent that made this year’s selection so difficult.

The future is bright

All of this can only leave you excited about what lies ahead. Over the next 12 months, we will see the first-ever British & Irish Lions Women tour, with Jo Yapp taking a squad of players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to New Zealand to face the Black Ferns in three Tests, alongside a series of other tour fixtures.

Every player with ambitions of making that tour knows they will need to be at their very best. And the selection process will not begin in 2027; it has already started, with Yapp attending a number of WXV Global Series fixtures across September and October.

The new JAECOO Premiership Women’s Rugby season will get underway next week, with the Celtic Challenge season following at the start of December. Both competitions will provide players with their first opportunities to make a lasting impression.

So, the question now is: how different will the RugbyPass Top 50 look in 2027?