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Fran Goldthorp ‘only person in the world that can challenge Ellie Kildunne’

NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 18: Fran Goldthorp of Loughborough Lightning goes past Holly Thorpe during the Allianz Premier 15's match between Loughborough Lightning and Sale Sharks at Franklin's Gardens on February 18, 2023 in Northampton, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Fran Goldthorp insists her plan has not changed since returning to Loughborough Lightning and Premiership Women’s Rugby.

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The dual code full-back confirmed on Wednesday that she remains committed to playing for the North Queensland Cowboys during the expanded NRL Women’s Premiership in 2025.

Goldthorp revealed she would have come back to Lightning last year had it not been for an injury and said that being in England was designed to keep her fit and focused during the long Australian off-season.

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However, it is only natural that with Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 less than a year away, the 21-year-old’s arrival back on these shores would prompt speculation about a possible Red Roses call-up.

“Right now, the plan is to go back to Australia. But again, I don’t really know what’s going to happen in the next few months,” Goldthorp told reporters.

“For me, I’m just trying to play consistent rugby, trying to stay healthy and see what happens off the back of that.”

What happens off the back of that could be senior international recognition and potentially a crack at a second home World Cup, in a different code.

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Goldthorp says she has not had any contact with England since making the move back to the East Midlands, but Red Roses attack coach Lou Meadows is a fan having worked with the full-back at U20 level.

Last month, Meadows told RugbyPass Goldthorp was on England’s radar as she praised her ability on both sides of the ball. “She’s got a great carry fight and she’s not scared to give things a go,” she said.

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That is an assessment backed up by her club coach Nathan Smith, who feels Goldthorp is the woman best placed to compete with Ellie Kildunne at full-back for England.

“She’s the only person in the world that can challenge Ellie Kildunne for the 15 shirt in the Red Roses,” Smith said. “She’s the only person that can do that.

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“We saw a couple of moments from Ellie for Quins when we played them, but I thought Fran was exceptional in that game. I thought she had some really cool moments, creating good opportunities.

“In my opinion, she’s the only person that can really challenge Ellie, one for her shirt, but also for her to keep improving as well.”

Goldthorp remains humble when that appraisal put to her. “She’s a great player, obviously,” she said of Kildunne.

“It just takes that split second for her to create something, so [I’m] obviously very privileged to be up there.

“But I just play my game, try and keep my head down and if that’s what happens, that comes off the back of it, that’s just a bit of an added bonus.”

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You get the impression that Goldthorp would be equally happy were she to break into John Mitchell’s England squad or return to Townsville and the Cowboys next year as planned.

She speaks highly of her time in North Queensland and the opportunity it has given her to grow on and off the pitch.

“I think I’ve developed not just as a player but as a person, a lot,” she added. “Moving the other side of the world has given me that independence and just given me that bit more belief in me as a player and what strengths and attributes I can bring to a team.

“And then coming back, I’ve got a bit more confidence and I trust my skill set a bit more.

“But I also know where I’m at and what I need to do to improve and take my game to the next level.”

That development has continued in Loughborough and will possibly accelerate now the likes of Emily Scarratt, Helena Rowland, Alev Kelter and Krissy Scurfield have returned from international duty.

“The intensity has gone up a notch,” Goldthorp said. “The speed of play has gone up a notch and I think that’s where we want to play, that’s the level we want to keep progressing at.”

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It is a similar story for the league, which has been rebranded in the time she has been away.

“It’s massively stepped up,” Goldthorp said. “It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been involved, so I can definitely see the improvements with some of the Canadians and other people just stepping up.

“But it’s been a good challenge for me. I think it’s been exciting to see how I’ve transitioned back in.

“Like I say, [I] just keep trying to grow my game and being in that environment, it’s a world class league at the minute and I think this will just bring my game on.”

As things stand, Goldthorp will head back to Australia at the end of the PWR season to start preparation for the expanded 2025 NRL Women’s campaign.

But how does she view herself? As a league player in union or vice versa, or just a rugby player?

“I always get asked, ‘When are you going to make the decision to decide what you want to do?’” she conceded.

“For me, I just want to keep putting myself in the best position where I know I can grow and be a better player. So, at the minute that is swapping between the two.

“Whether that will change, I’m not sure but for now that is the goal.”

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1 Comment
B
BC 14 days ago

I think to be seriously considered for the Red Roses she would have to commit to Union and then she faces the challenge of getting into the squad. I have watched Lightning's matches this season and have not as yet seen anything exceptional but it is early days.

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J
JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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