England announce full-time contracts to 32 players
Marlie Packer is part of the contracted list
©PA
The Rugby Football Union has awarded 32 England Women's players with full-time contracts for the upcoming 2024/25 season.
Exeter Chiefs' Maddie Feaunati has received her first full-time contract after playing five games in the recently concluded Six Nations along with prop Liz Crake, who also has played two times for England.
Poppy Cleall, who has played 65 times for England drops out of the contracted list that has 29 players from the Grand Slam winning Women's Six Nations side this year.
“We trust each other and our style of rugby, and have belief our game is working for us," said England Women head coach John Mitchell.
“There is still a lot of room for growth in us and we have taken a lot of learning from our last Test match against France to move us forward.
“We are focused and determined to climb again and take our game to another level.”
Meanwhile, eight players have been awarded transition contracts to help aspiring players in their early professional journey and safeguard some of their time for dedicated rugby development.
“This Red Roses group is extremely competitive, and the standards continue to go from strength to strength, as evidenced in this year’s Six Nations," said Head of Women’s Performance Charlie Hayter.
“Everyone involved in the programme is dedicated and committed to the journey that lies ahead, and striving towards a common purpose of growing the game in this country and contest the right to be successful at next year’s home Rugby World Cup.
“Before then, the immediate focus is on best preparing ourselves for our September fixtures against world class opposition in France and New Zealand, before heading to WXV 1 in Canada.”
England's Contracted Players
Holly Aitchison (Bristol Bears)
Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury)
Lark Atkin-Davies (Bristol Bears)
Sarah Beckett (Gloucester-Hartpury)
Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears)
Hannah Botterman (Bristol Bears)
Jess Breach (Saracens)
Mackenzie Carson (Gloucester-Hartpury)
Kelsey Clifford (Saracens)
Amy Cokayne (Leicester Tigers)
Liz Crake (Trailfinders Women)
Abby Dow (Trailfinders Women)
Maddie Feaunati (Exeter Chiefs)
Rosie Galligan (Saracens)
Zoe Harrison (Saracens)
Tatyana Heard (Gloucester-Hartpury)
Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury)
Megan Jones (Leicester Tigers)
Sadia Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning)
Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins)
Alex Matthews (Gloucester-Hartpury)
Claudia MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs)
Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury)
Cath O’Donnell (Loughborough Lightning)
Lucy Packer (Harlequins)
Marlie Packer (Saracens)
Connie Powell (Harlequins)
Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning)
Emily Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning)
Morwenna Talling (Sale Sharks)
Abbie Ward (Bristol Bears)
Ella Wyrwas (Saracens)
Transition Contracted Players
Maisy Allen (Exeter Chiefs)
Katie Buchanan (Exeter Chiefs)
Grace Clifford (Loughborough Lightning)
Steph Else (Gloucester-Hartpury)
Lizzie Hanlon (Exeter Chiefs)
Lilli Ives Campion (Loughborough Lightning)
Nancy McGillivray (Exeter Chiefs)
Mia Venner (Gloucester-Hartpury)
