World Rugby Names 2026 Women's Dream Team
England leads the 15-player selection, with New Zealand, Canada and France also represented in the international honours.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Other Sports
World Rugby has named its 2026 Women's 15s Dream Team of the Year, a 15-player squad recognising standout performers across the international season. England contributed six selections, the most of any nation.
Why it matters
The awards recognise individual performance across the international women's game, giving global visibility to players from several nations. The selections also reflect which teams produced the most standout players over the season.
England accounts for six of the 15 Dream Team places, against five for New Zealand, three for Canada and one for France. The Try of the Year shortlist contained four tries, and the selection process for the Dream Team itself is not detailed in the source.
The players
World Rugby
World Rugby is the international governing body for rugby union, responsible for the sport's laws, competitions and global awards.
International Rugby Players' Association
The International Rugby Players' Association is the global representative body for professional rugby players, which compiled the try shortlist.
Pauline Bourdon Sansus
Pauline Bourdon Sansus is a French rugby player who won the IRPA Women's 15s Try of the Year 2026 through a global fan vote.
The details
World Rugby announced the Dream Team alongside the IRPA Women's 15s Try of the Year 2026, which went to Pauline Bourdon Sansus after a global fan vote from a shortlist of four tries chosen by the International Rugby Players' Association. Her winning try was scored against England in the Guinness Women's Six Nations title decider on 17 May.
Timeline
17 May 2026: Bourdon Sansus scores the winning try against England in the Six Nations decider.
9 May 2026: Léa Champon's try for France against Scotland is shortlisted.
12 September 2026: Abi Burton's try for England against Australia is shortlisted.
19 September 2026: Olivia Apps's try for England against Canada is shortlisted.
Final week of November 2026: Men's awards to be announced during the Nations Championship.
Season Trajectory
The Women's Dream Team follows World Rugby's established annual awards cycle, in which women's and men's honours are announced separately across the international calendar. The men's awards are scheduled for the final week of November during the Nations Championship, completing the season's recognition process.
Fans following the women's international game can use the Dream Team selections to identify standout players from England, New Zealand, Canada and France. The men's awards in late November will provide a parallel set of honours for followers of the men's game.
The takeaway
Recognition of individual performers helps readers track which players and nations are driving the women's international game. The men's awards later this month will complete the season's picture.
What happens next
The men's 2026 World Rugby awards will be announced in the final week of November 2026 during the Nations Championship.
Further reading
For more on international competition, see the Other Sports section.
