Meg Jones she almost didn’t know how to react when it was handed to her RugbyPass 2026 Top 50 Female Rugby Players Trophy.
Captain of the Red Roses and Trailfinders Women’s Center juggled the award in her hands as she gazed out at the Lower Manhattan skyline before pausing to speak with RugbyPass.
It’s been a huge year for the 30-year-old. Handed over the captaincy to the Red Roses after Zoe Stratford announced her pregnancy, with Jones in charge England to the Guinness Women’s House Six Nations title and was one of John Mitchell’s standout performers throughout the year.
“First of all, it’s a great honor to be recognized,” Jones said RugbyPass. “It’s funny, I never play the game for any kind of recognition or any kind of congratulations. I just see it as doing my job. I’m doing my job well.”
“I thrive best when I’m in a good team, which I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of for many years with England. I’m very lucky to have support and people around me who enable 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’s getting better every year. Everyone’s raising their level.”
“I’ve always supported myself and supported what I do. I’ve played this game all my life, but never for recognition. Although it’s nice to get recognition when I do.”
Jones is the English Swiss army knife. No job is too big for the center, who is just as comfortable dancing past defenders as she is putting her shoulder.
2026 has certainly provided a lot of interesting things for Jones. After helping the Red Roses to another Women’s Six Nations title, she then guided the Trailfinders to their first Women’s Rugby Premiership final, where they finished as runners-up to Saracens.
Jones was also nominated for the World Rugby Under-15 Player of the Year alongside England team-mate Zoe Harrison. They were beaten to the award by Black Ferns back row Kaipo Olsen-Baker. The Cardiff-born full-back has also been named in the midfield of the 2026 World Rugby Women’s Dream Team.
However, not everything was simple. During WXV Global Series In 2026, England ended their four-year run of 41 matches without defeat. Their winning streak ended in a 26-26 tie Canada in Exeter’s Sandy Park.
A month later, in Ontario, Kévin Rouet’s side won back-to-back matches against England, achieving their long-held ambition of defeating the Red Roses.
Several members of that England team had never lost a Test match before. Before Jones and her teammates got back to winning ways with a 55-12 victory over USA Women’s Eagles in New Jersey, the team discussed how they want to start a new chapter after the WXV Global Series.
“We faced a little bit of adversity, but we thought we were going to face adversity,” Jones said. “It allowed us to really think about ourselves individually and as a group, which is amazing.
“I’m an optimist. I totally believe, for whatever reason, things are already written for us and you always look and you go, you remember that time that was very difficult – it actually made us.”
One of the traits that makes Jones stand out is her relentlessness. The 30-year-old has a singular determination to be among the best players every time she steps on the court.
That characteristic has been evident since she won her first cap for England in 2015 as an 18-year-old. Now a veteran of two Olympic Games and one women’s Rugby World Cup The 2025 winner, Jones has built a record of excellence that shows no signs of stopping.
When asked where that urge comes from, she immediately takes it back to her childhood.
“It was ingrained in me when I was young,” Jones said. “My dad (Simon, who passed away in 2024) always said, if you want something, you have to live, sleep and breathe and repeat.
“I said I loved rugby. He said, perfect – then eat, sleep and repeat, and keep doing it. I’ve always loved it. I used to go to bed with a rugby ball.”
“I love tackling. I love the physical side of the game, which a lot of quarterbacks don’t. That’s probably my point of difference. I’m 110% in the game. I’m always going to commit. I have no fear of failure. I have a need-to-achieve attitude.
“I really don’t see myself stopping. I love rugby so much. It’s given me so much. It takes care of me. It makes me think about myself as a person. I’m a very grateful person. Grateful for what I’ve achieved, what I continue to achieve and what I’ve been involved in.”
Jones’ crown as the number one player in the league RugbyPass The 50 Best Women’s Rugby Players of 2026 brings to a close three days of player discovery. It also comes on the heels of a WXV Global Series campaign that has shown the growing quality of women’s international rugby over the past two months.
It wasn’t just England’s defeats against Canada that attracted attention. Ahead of their clash with the Red Roses last week, the USA was the only undefeated team in the WXV Global Series, with wins over Ireland, Wales and Italy.
Just a year after Women’s Rugby World Cup Finals 2025, the future of women’s test rugby has never looked brighter.
“I always say it, we’re an entertainment product,” Jones said. “We’re here to really entertain the viewers, to get people to come and watch, to get sponsors involved, etc.
“We want it to be competitive. That’s the bottom line. We want to grow the women’s game. We’re only doing that by playing well, playing good rugby that people appreciate.”
“I’m excited for what’s to come. I’m excited for how it’s going to challenge and test me individually and the group.”