Women

BWSL: Trailblazers bid farewell to Rugby League

7 hrs

As the 2026 season reaches its conclusion, the Betfred Women Super League recognises two outstanding Rugby League careers as Jodie Cunningham and Emily Rudge bring their time on the field to a close.

Cunningham and Rudge have been central to the St Helens Women’s journey since the team’s formation in 2018, helping to establish the Red V as one of the leading forces in the women’s game. Their influence has stretched beyond club level, with both players captaining England and becoming the two most-capped players in England Women’s history.

Cunningham made her England debut against France in 2009 and has earned 35 caps, scoring 10 international tries and representing her country at three Rugby League World Cups. At Saints, she was named co-captain in 2019 and sole captain in 2021, leading the side through a historic treble-winning year and being named Woman of Steel.

Her leadership helped Saints win a Women’s Super League title, two League Leaders’ Shields and four successive Women’s Challenge Cups from 2021 to 2024. Off the field, she has also helped develop the next generation, first with the RFL and now as St Helens’ Head of Women’s Pathways & Performance.

Rudge made her England debut during the 2008 Rugby League World Cup against Australia and became a mainstay of the national side. One of her standout international performances came in 2019, when she became the first England Women player to score four tries in a single match, against Papua New Guinea in Goroka.

For Saints, Rudge has been integral since the beginning of the Women’s team’s story. A winner of the Women’s Super League, two League Leaders’ Shields and four Challenge Cups, she became only the second women’s player to reach 100 appearances for the club.

Together, Cunningham and Rudge have been trailblazers for Women’s Rugby League as leaders and teammates who have helped drive the sport forward.

Their contribution to St Helens, England and the wider game will be remembered as part of a defining era for Women’s Rugby League.

The pair are part of a wider group of players across the women’s game who will also step away at the end of the season, and whose contributions deserve recognition:

2026 retirees:

Fran Copley (Huddersfield Giants)

Jodie Cunningham (St Helens)

Alice Fisher (Leigh Leopards)

Becky Greenfield (Leigh Leopards)

Zoe Harris (St Helens)

Lacey Owen (Leeds Rhinos)

Ashley Prescott (Featherstone Rovers)

Mairead Quinn (Leigh Leopards)

Sade Rihari (York Valkyrie)

Emily Rudge (St Helens)

Vanessa Temple (Barrow Raiders)