Fran Goldthorp (born 11 January 2003) is an international
rugby league footballer
A rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field, with 4 substitutes on the bench. Each of the thirteen players is assigned a position, normally with a standardised number, which reflects their role in attack and defence, although pl ...
who plays at domestic level for
Leeds Rhinos Women
Leeds Rhinos Women are a rugby league team based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team is part of the Leeds Rhinos club and plays in the Women's Super League.
They were the RFL Women's Super League champions in 2019 and 2022, and from 20 ...
in the
Women's Super League primarily as a or on the . Goldthorp who is a student at
Loughborough University
Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when L ...
also plays
rugby union for
Loughborough Lightning in the
Premier 15s
The Premier 15s, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Allianz Premier 15s, is the top tier of the women's English rugby union domestic league system run by the Rugby Football Union (RFU). The league was created mainly from teams in t ...
.
Early and personal life
Born in
Leeds, West Yorkshire,
Goldthorp played
rugby union and
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
at junior level including captaining the
Yorkshire Cricket Board under-15 team as they won the County Championship in 2018.
Her brother
Eliot is a footballer.
Club career
Goldthorp's first rugby league experience came with Guiseley Rangers which brought her to the attention of the Leeds Rhinos, who signed her the club's under-19 squad.
Aged only 16, Goldthorp made her first team debut for the Rhinos against Castleford in a
Women's Super League match on 28 April 2019.
In the
2019 Women's Challenge Cup final, also against Castleford, Goldthorp scored a try as Leeds retained the cup. Goldthorp ended the debut season with two tries in the Grand Final, another meeting with Castleford.
With the
2020 season cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic it was 2021 before Goldthorp played again. Although the Rhinos did not win any trophies during the 2021 season, Goldthorp set a new club try-scoring record with 20 tries in 12 games.
Goldthorp was nominated for the
Woman of Steel
The Woman of Steel (known as the Telegraph Woman of Steel for sponsorship reasons) is an award in English rugby league. It is awarded to the player of the year in the Women's Super League; the winner is determined by a poll of the players in t ...
award, losing out to
Jodie Cunningham
Jodie Cunningham is an English rugby league footballer who plays as a or at international level for England women's national rugby league team, England and domestically for St Helens Women, St Helens in the RFL Women's Super League, Women's S ...
.
In 2022 Goldthorp scored 13 tries in 15 appearances to help Leeds reach the final of the
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
and was in the team that beat
York City Knights 12–4 in the Grand Final.
International career
Goldthorp's abilities were recognised with a call-up to the England squad and she made her international debut against on 26 June 2021, celebrating the occasion with her first international try. 2021 ended with a second England appearance, against in October.
2022 saw two more England appearances in the mid-season games, against France and Wales, scoring a try against France and two against Wales.
In September 2022, Goldthorp was named in the England squad for the
World Cup to be held in November 2022.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldthorp, Fran
2003 births
Living people
England women's national rugby league team players
English female rugby league players
English female rugby union players
Leeds Rhinos Women players
Loughborough Lightning
Rugby league centres
Rugby league players from Leeds
Rugby league wingers
Rugby league fullbacks
Rugby union fullbacks