Five Red Roses, Five Honours: A Historic New Year

After a fantastic year for women’s sport in 2025, the King announced multiple Premiership Women’s Rugby players in his New Year Honours list for 2026.

The list includes Zoe Stratford (Gloucester Hartpury), Marlie Packer (Saracens), Megan Jones (Trailfinders Women), Sadia Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning) and Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins), who will each receive awards for their service in the rugby world.

Get to know more about the players and their awards:

Zoe Stratford OBE

Zoe Stratford (formerly Aldcroft) is a 29-year-old lock for Gloucester Hartpury and England. She is the captain of the England international team, and co-captain of Gloucester Hartpury, alongside Natasha Hunt.

Stratford’s rugby journey started at age nine, when she joined Scarborough RUFC as the only girl in the team. Little did she know that it would kick-start an incredible rugby career for her. She went on to make her international debut in July 2016 during a game against France and scored the winning try in the match.

After an incredible year of rugby in 2021, Zoe was named World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year. The following year, she was named co-captain of Gloucester Hartpury, with whom she has won three consecutive league titles.

In January 2025, she was announced as the new England captain, appointed in time for the Six Nations and World Cup campaign. Stratford played a crucial role in the squad, captaining her team to World Cup victory after winning the final against Canada 33-13.

Marlie Packer OBE

Marlie Packer is a 36-year-old flanker for Saracens and England. She was the former international captain, now supporting Zoe Stratford as a vice-captain, and is the captain of her club team.

Her journey started 31 years ago at Ivel Barbarians when she was just five years old, which led her on to play for Wasps, Bristol Bears and currently, Saracens. She made her international debut in 2008 and has since earned 112 caps for her country.

Packer was part of the 2014 Red Roses squad who lifted the World Cup trophy in France, scoring twice in the semi-final against Ireland.

In the 2021 World Cup, Marlie took on the England captaincy for the first time. She led her team to their fourth consecutive final, just falling short to New Zealand and earning a silver medal.

An impressive year of rugby in 2023 led Packer to the World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year trophy. She was awarded the trophy after a commendable WXV1 tournament, where she captained the Roses to a win over New Zealand in the final.

The accolades don’t stop there; Packer also played a crucial role as vice-captain in the 2025 World Cup, where the Red Roses beat Canada in the final.

Megan Jones MBE

Megan (Meg) Jones is a 29-year-old centre for Trailfinders Women and England. She is the vice-captain of her international side, alongside Marlie Packer.

Meg’s rugby journey started in Wales at Glamorgan Wanderers at six years old, where she immediately fell in love with the sport. At age 16, she decided to pursue a career in rugby, influencing her decision to study at Hartpury College. From there, she began playing for Bristol Bears, Wasps, Leicester Tigers and now Trailfinders Women.

Her international debut came in 2015, before featuring in the 2017 World Cup. Meg then went onto play in the 7s programme, where she co-captained Team GB Sevens at the Tokyo Olympics.

The 2024-25 season was a successful one for Jones, as she took home the PWR Player of the Season and the RPA Women’s Player of the Year award.

She was a monumental part of the Red Roses’ World Cup winning campaign, even scoring in the semi-final against France. Jones was also nominated for World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year, just falling short to Canada’s Sophie de Goede.

Sadia Kabeya MBE

Sadia Kabeya is a 23-year-old flanker for Loughborough Lightning and England.

Her journey wasn’t typical, as she started as a field athlete. However, a conversation with her PE teacher influenced her to switch to rugby and she joined Streatham-Croydon RFC.

In 2019, she began her professional career and signed for Richmond, becoming a key player in the England under-18s set-up. A year later, she joined Premier 15s (now PWR) side Wasps, before settling at Loughborough Lightning in 2021.

Sadia made her international debut against Canada in November 2021 and has since become a key part of the Red Roses squad. The following year, she played in their Six Nations and delayed Rugby World Cup competition.

Knowing how to show up in big games, in the 2023 Six Nations, Kabeya was named Player of the Match in England’s Grand Slam-winning match against France.

If that wasn’t enough, the 23-year-old was also named Player of the Match in the 2025 World Cup final, where England beat Canada to win the trophy.

Ellie Kildunne MBE

Ellie Kildunne is a 26-year-old full-back for Harlequins and England.

Keighley Albion was Kildunne’s first club, starting at age 7. She found a love for rugby right away, continuing to play both league and union for her club throughout her teens.

Hartpury College was the next step for the young prospect, before joining Gloucester Hartpury for the 2017-18 season. In 2020, she moved to Wasps, playing there for a season before moving to Harlequins, whom she currently represents.

Kildunne made her debut in 2017 in a match against Canada and scored a try in her 27 minutes on the pitch. She was alongside young prospects Hannah Botterman, Zoe Harrison, Abby Dow and Jess Breach, who all made their debuts alongside her.

2024 was a special year for Kildunne, who played a crucial role in the Red Roses’ Six Nations and WXV1 successes. After scoring 14 tries across just 10 test appearances, Kildunne was named World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year 2024.

The following year, she earned another Six Nations title, then went on to the World Cup with England that summer. The full-back scored five tries during the World Cup campaign, notably including a brace in the semi-final and one in the final against Canada.

Her incredible year saw her nominated for the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, where she was named the runner-up, falling just short to Masters winner Rory McIlory.