England’s captain, Meg Jones, and Ireland’s impactful back-row player, Aoife Wafer, have both secured spots on the final shortlist for the Women’s Six Nations Player of the Tournament this year. Both athletes were pivotal to their respective teams’ performances throughout the competition.
Jones, who stepped into the captaincy role while Zoe Stratford was on maternity leave, was a constant presence on the field, playing every minute of England’s triumphant title defense. Her stellar performance included scoring three tries.
Wafer, a 23-year-old dynamo, lit up Ireland’s campaign with five tries and covered more ground than any other forward in the tournament. She is aiming to win this individual honor for the second consecutive year, having been named player of the 2025 edition.
The shortlist is rounded out by French scrum-half Pauline Bourdon Sansus and Italian blindside flanker Francesca Sgorbini.
The recipient of the award will be determined by an online fan vote, which will conclude at 09:00 BST on Thursday, May 28th.
In related news, organizers have released figures highlighting the continued expansion of both the competition and women’s rugby generally, building on the momentum from last year’s successful Rugby World Cup in England.
The tournament saw an unprecedented 279,750 fans attend matches across stadiums, with five out of the six participating nations setting new attendance records for a Women’s Six Nations fixture. This impressive figure significantly surpasses the previous record of 188,128 spectators, established in 2024.
Global television viewership also reached new heights, with 5.87 million people tuning in for the final round of matches across the Six Nations, marking the highest audience for a single round in the tournament’s history.
In the United Kingdom, BBC One’s broadcast of the decisive Grand Slam clash between England and France attracted a record-breaking 1.6 million viewers and a 17.9% audience share for a Women’s Six Nations game.
On the field, the tournament delivered a record-setting number of tries, totaling 147, which averages out to 9.8 tries per game.
