Leeds Rhinos duo on board with England women's squad

Former Leeds Rhinos women’s team coach Adam Cuthbertson will continue his role with the national side this year - and his successor Lois Forsell has been placed in joint-charge of a new England Knights women’s squad.
Lois Forsell. Pixture by Steve Riding.Lois Forsell. Pixture by Steve Riding.
Lois Forsell. Pixture by Steve Riding.

Cuthbertson, along with ex-Test player Shaun Briscoe, will assist England coach Craig Richards while Forsell works alongside Paul Sculthorpe.

A new national performance squad has also been announced, which will form the teams for the 2020 Women’s Origin Series which begins at Weetwood Sports Park, in Leeds, on Saturday (11.30am).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

England and Knights performance squads are selected will be selected after that.

Adam Cuthbertson. Picture by Steve Riding.Adam Cuthbertson. Picture by Steve Riding.
Adam Cuthbertson. Picture by Steve Riding.

It includes 11 players from Rhinos, the Challenge Cup and Grand Final winners, plus 10 members of the Castleford Tigers squad who who finished top of Betfred Women’s Super League and lost to Leeds in both finals.

Leeds' Hannah Butcher had been selected, but withdrew on Thursday.

Char Booth, who left Rhinos at the end of last season to play in Australia, is included.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Richards, a former Hunslet player, said: “Adam was a fantastic addition to the coaching staff ahead of last year’s tour of Papua New Guinea.

"The brand-new England Women Knights set-up is a great step forward for the women’s game and the national performance programme.

"It will help introduce younger Women’s Super League stars to the international set-up and will allow us to work closely with these players at an earlier stage.”

He added: “The introduction of Lois and Paul as England Women Knights coaches is a huge boost.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"I am delighted Lois will continue to be involved in the England set-up following her retirement [as a player] and she will bring a huge amount of experience.

“It is important we have the best people and preparations in place as we build towards the 2021 Rugby League World Cup on home soil.”

The England women national performance squad is: Amy Hardcastle (Bradford Bulls), Carrie Roberts (British Army), Jasmine Cudjoe, Hollie Dodd, Grace Field, Kelsey Gentles, Shona Hoyle, Lacey Owen, Sinead Peach, Tamzin Renouf, Georgia Roche and Tara-Jane Stanley (all Castleford Tigers), Isabel Bibby (Huddersfield Giants), Dannielle Anderson, Caitlin Beevers, Keara Bennett, Abby Eatock, Elle Frain, Tasha Gaines, Fran Goldthorp, Amy Johnson, Chloe Kerrigan, Shannon Lacey, Ellie Oldroyd (all Leeds Rhinos), Leah Burke, Chantelle Crowl, Jodie Cunningham, Tara Jones, Emily Rudge, Paige Travis, Naomi Williams (all St Helens), Roxy Mura, Rowanne Smalley (both Warrington Wolves), Charlotte Booth (West Brisbane Panthers), Rebecca Greenfield, Vicky Molyneux, Rachel Thompson, Georgia Wilson (all Wigan Warriors)

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.