10 Best Female Rugby Players Of All Time

Rugby may be a challenging sport to get into. Even if you are a fantastic player and have the ideal fitness, you could feel like you are up against a lot of competition since there is so much of it.

Female rugby players have transformed the sport, breaking records and winning awards for their efforts. Who has ever been the best female rugby player? Women who have proven themselves are included on this long list from many different countries.

These days, more women hold this role, balancing the playing field and sometimes outperforming their male counterparts. Find out more about the great female rugby players and their varied professional successes here. The best 10 female rugby players in history are listed below.

10 Best Female Rugby Players

1. Natasha Hunt

British rugby union player Natasha Hunt currently plays as the scrum half for England’s women’s national side. She was born in Gloucester, England, on March 21, 1989.

Natasha started playing rugby when she was 17, and she has become one of the best female rugby players in the world since then.

In 2014, she was seen for the first time around the world, and she managed to help England win a number of games and trophies.

Natasha Hunt’s Short Profile

 Achievements

Natasha Hunt is, without a doubt, one of the most successful women to play rugby in the sport’s history. Since her debut in 2014, she has controlled the women’s game.

2. Portia Woodman

Portia Woodman is one of the top female rugby players and a New Zealand rugby union player. The birth date of the 5’7 rugby union player was July 12, 1991.

She has been playing rugby since she was a teenager, and she has won a lot of trophies throughout the years. Portia was the best women’s sevens player in the world in 2015. She was on the New Zealand Sevens team in 2016, and she scored ten tries, which was the most of anyone in the tournament.

She also played on the New Zealand Sevens team that won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021.

Portia has been chosen to be on the Black Ferns Sevens team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. In the Sevens Series, Portia was the first woman to score 200 tries in 2022.

Portia Woodman’s Short Profile

Achievements of Woodmen

3. Emily Scarratt

Emily Scarratt is another great rugby player who can’t be denied. She plays center and fullback for the Loughborough Lightning and England Women’s Rugby Union.

The rugby player was born in Leicestershire, England, on February 8, 1990.

In 2013, Emily was named the best women’s rugby player in the world. She also set a record for the total points by an England player in an international competition with over 1,000.

Emily Scarratt’s Short Profile

Achievements of Scarratt

In the 2020 Six Nations, Emily scored the most points for the Red Roses.

Emily is one of the best female rugby players because of all of these awards and accomplishments.

4. Rochelle Clark

Rochelle Clark used to play rugby union for the English team Saracens. Since her first professional game in 2003, she has been one of the best rugby players in the world for women.

She has been playing for her country’s national team since she was nine years old, which was in 2003. Clark was a great student and athlete, and she didn’t have to wait long to get on the field!

Clark is famous for how good she is at sports. She can do things that most people would find hard. She moves very quickly, which gives her an edge in any game.

She has won seven Six Nations championships and has more international caps than anyone else in England’s history.

Clark is a versatile player who can easily play both the prop position and the hooker position. Because she is so good at tackling, her teammates have called her a “game-changer.”

Clark also does well in scrums because she has good balance and can hold onto the ball.

 Rochelle Clark’s Short Profile

Achievements of Clark

5. Charlotte Caslick

Charlotte Caslick is one of the best-known rugby players in Australia, and she has built a name for herself as one of the best in the world at what she does.

She was born on March 9, 1995, in Brisbane, and she first played for Australia when she was 19. Charlotte has done a lot of great things, such as being named series player of the year at the National Youth Championships in 2012.

She has won the World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year award for two years in a row.

She is also one of the most followed athletes on Instagram and Twitter, with over 130,000 people following her. 

Charlotte Caslick’s Short Profile

Achievements of Caslick

6. Katherine Merchant

Katherine Merchant is a rugby union player from England. She was born on October 29, 1985, in Brighton, UK.

She played for her country 58 times and got 44 tries. She went to Birmingham University and got a BSC in athletics and physical science in 2007.

 Katherine is a powerful and flexible player who can play in the middle or on the wing. Her quickness and flexibility let her make quick, surprising moves that are difficult to defend against, but her size keeps her from being tackled.

She played for England in the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2010 and was picked for the 2014 team. 

Katherine Merchant’s Short Profile

Achievements of Merchant

7. Magali Harvey

Magali Harvey is one of the best rugby players in the world for women. At the 2015 Pan American Games, she also won a gold medal. She began playing rugby when she was 16.

Harvey is a good defender on the field because she is quick and moves well. She can reach the ball before any other player on either team because of her speed and talent. She is also well known for being able to change the game at any point.

Harvey has also played for her country in the fifteens. She helped Canada finish second in the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

She won the IRB Women’s Player of the Year award in 2014.

Harvey went to the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2014 to play for Canada. She won the IRB Women’s Player of the Year award in 2014, making her the first Canadian to do so.

Magali Harvey’s Short Profile

Achievements of Harvey

8. Cheryl Soon

Cheryl Soon used to play rugby professionally and was one of the best in the world.

She was born in New Zealand’s Auckland on September 23, 1975. Cheryl started playing rugby when she was 16, and she has kept doing it ever since.

Cheryl played for the Wallaroos in the 2002 and 2006 Rugby World Cups. She was also on the 2010 Rugby World Cup team that came in third.

At the first Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2009, McAfee led the Australian women’s sevens team to victory. She joined the IRB Rugby Committee in 2012.

Cheryl Soon is one of the top rugby players in the world due to her strength, speed, and adaptability. She is also the best at tackling. She is a great leader on the field, and her passion and excitement can get her teammates excited as well.

Cheryl Soon’s Short Profile

Achievements of Soon

9. Carol Isherwood

Carol Isherwood used to play rugby union for England and the British Lionesses. Now she is no longer playing.

On the field, she is known for being fast, skilled, and a good leader. She has played rugby since she was fourteen years old. Carol, who was born in Leigh, participated in hockey and judo prior to beginning rugby at the age of 20. She was in charge of the women’s rugby squad and was the first woman in England to get an L3 coaching certificate.

Carol Isherwood is one of the most accomplished women who have ever played rugby. As a rugby union player and coach, she has become well-known.

Carol was not only the captain of the Great Britain team, but she was also in charge of organizing the coaches, the stadium, and the media.

 Carol Isherwood’s Short Profile

Achievements of Isherwood

10. Anna Richards

Many women have been called the best rugby player ever, but Anna Richards stands out as the best of all time. Richards was one of the first woman players to be entered into the International Rugby Hall of Fame. The Hong Kong women’s sevens team is led by her.

During her time at New Zealand’s Canterbury University, she became interested in rugby. Richards was put in the Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014, and he is still coaching today. She is the first world-class coach to lead an optimistic Asian team, and over the last year, her players have improved a lot.

She played for New Zealand in the World Cup in 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010. As of January 2023, she is the manager of player development for women at Auckland Rugby. 

Anna Richards Short Profile

Achievements of Richards

Final View

Women who play rugby are some of the toughest and best athletes in the world. They always do their best to provide us with something to endeavor for.

These 10 women were chosen because of what they have done, how talented they are, and how popular they are in the sport as a whole. Each of them has something special that makes them not only great athletes but also great people.

We hope you’ve liked learning about these amazing women, and we can’t wait to see what new talent comes out in the future!

• Read Also: Richest Soccer Players In The World