Five further DiSE graduates have excelled through the performance pathway and appeared for the England senior team in Saturday’s (9 August) test match win over Wales.
Eva Hunter, Grace Banks, Jenna Foubister, Molly Jones (All Wigan Warriors) and Ruby Bruce (Leeds Rhinos) were the latest players to make their progression to the pinnacle of the pathway. Their selections were a result of strong performances for their clubs in the Betfred Women’s Super League and the recent Women’s Origin fixture.
Stuart Barrow’s side celebrated a dominant 62-0 victory against Wales with Hunter, Foubister and Jones also scoring their first England tries on debut.
Wigan duo Hunter and Jones have had a similar journey to the England senior team after being selected in the third DiSE cohort in 2021. They were the first cohort to face Catalans Dragons in 2023, with Jones captaining the team to a comprehensive victory. Both players have progressed through the ranks in the Warriors academy and have since lifted the nines trophy in 2024 and 2025 whilst also playing a key role in Wigan’s 2025 Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup victory at Wembley.
Banks was selected in the fourth DiSE cohort in 2022, shortly after she represented the Wigan senior team in 2023. The 19-year-old is another player who has lifted the Women’s Nines trophy for the Warriors and was named Player of the Match at Wembley Stadium in June.
Foubister and Bruce were part of the fifth and most recent squad to complete the DiSE programme - both of which had recently returned from a successful DiSE Catalan tour. Bruce played a key role in helping the team complete a 64 – 4 victory over the Dragons. Since starting with their academies in 2022, both players have featured heavily for the clubs senior teams in the 2024 and the 2025 season.
In addition to the five named players making their debut, Evie Cousins from the fourth DiSE cohort was also selected in the travelling squad, whilst not featuring during the game, she will be hoping to use this experience to keep progressing and earn future International selection. Cousins takes the total DiSE selected players in the squad to ten, with twelve DiSE players featuring on the field for the England senior side since the programme started in 2019.
The Rugby Football League’s DiSE Manager, Conor Meese, says: “To have half of Saturday’s squad having come through our pathway is great to see. The newly selected players have worked incredibly hard both in our programmes but also week in week out at their Betfred Women’s Super League clubs. From seeing these players enter the talent pathway as an U15, to now seeing them run out as full senior internationals, should provide inspiration for all young players in the game."
The Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) programme is a National Programme for Year 12 and Year 13 girls who are deemed to have the potential to represent England in the future and play at the top of the Women’s game in England.
To enhance the programme experience and to further aid player development, the DiSE programme is seeking a sponsor to help fund regular overseas competition. Please direct any interest to; The Rugby Football League’s DiSE manager, Conor Meese on Conor.Meese@rfl.co.uk.
DiSE Alumni to represent England Senior to date:
Keara Bennett (2019), Eboni Partington (2019), Erin Stott (2019), Katie Mottershead (2020), Bella Sykes (2021), Amelia Brown (2021), Eva Hunter (2021), Molly Jones (2021), Grace Banks (2022), Isabel Rowe (2023), Jenna Foubister (2023), Ruby Bruce (2023)
(Selected DiSE Cohort Year)
