The 2026 women’s Six Nations is set to kick off in spectacular fashion as France welcome Italy, before the biggest crowd in Women’s Six Nations history will head to Allianz Twickenham as the reigning Champions England welcome Ireland.
Here are Six Players (one from each nation) who are set to take the tournament by storm.
England- Ellie Kildunne
Kildunne is a star player in women’s rugby. She was named the 2024 World Rugby Women’s 15s player of the year.
She adds a level of X-Factor to the England attack and scored four tries in the 2025 edition of the tournament. The full-back beat 20 defenders in 2025, the most by any England player and the second-most by any player in the tournament. She also scored five tries at the 2025 Women’s World Cup, carrying for 524 metres in the tournament, the second most of any player.
France- Morgane Bourgeois
Bourgeois is an excellent full-back and, like her counterpart on the male side, Thomas Ramos, is a world-class goal kicker. Last year she scored 73 points in the Six Nations, nearly double of the next highest scorer, who scored 37. She is only just turned 23 and is a cool head at the back, while France’s more maverick style needs this sort of structure.
Ireland- Erin King
King has been selected as the new team captain of Ireland at just 22 years old. She still only has seven Ireland caps, but has shown her quality throughout her career on the Sevens circuit and in her early 15s career. King made her sevens debut at 17 in 2021 and played for the Ireland sevens team at the 2024 Olympics. She was named World Women’s 15s breakthrough player of the year in 2024 at the World Rugby Awards. King had a strong start to the Six Nations in 2025. She picked up a knee injury against England, which saw her miss the World Cup.
Italy- Aura Muzzo
Muzzo had a brilliant Six Nations in 2025, where she scored four tries across the tournament. The only player to score more than her in the tournament was Abby Dow of England, who dominated the tournament. Fabio Roselli, the Italian head coach, loves playing attacking rugby and looks to put his wingers in a position to score. In the three games in the 2025 World Cup, she led in line breaks in each game.
Scotland- Francesca McGhie
McGhie has been the star finisher for Scotland over the last year. She scored six tries in the World Cup; only Sorensen-McGee of New Zealand scored more. In the Six Nations last year, she beat 24 defenders, the most of anyone in the competition. She was also in the top 10 for metres per carry with 7.8.
Wales- Kate Williams
Alex Callender has typically been a standout for Wales in recent campaigns despite the struggles that this Welsh team has faced. She will miss out on the tournament due to injury. Kate Williams will take on the captaincy by herself. She will need to lead this Wales team strongly. The captain still has fewer than 25 caps to her name.
