Cantwell and Clark to be inducted into World Rugby Hall of Fame

SPOTLIGHT: Former Ireland centre Lynne Cantwell and England prop Rochelle ‘Rocky’ Clark will be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame during a special ceremony on September 26 at the Women’s Summit, held in London on the eve of the Women’s World Cup 2025 final.

Cantwell is still Ireland’s most-capped player more than a decade after her retirement, having won a Women’s Six Nations title and inspired her country to a first-ever win over New Zealand at Women’s RWC 2014 for their only semifinal appearance.

A generational talent who played as a wing, flyhalf, and centre for Ireland, she is now equally respected as an administrator, both in rugby and sport in general, and is currently the IRFU’s Head of Women’s Strategy.

She spent five years helping develop the South African women’s programme before heading home to take up a similar role with Irish Rugby.

Clark was one of the game’s biggest personalities and regarded among the world’s best scrummagers in a 15-year test career that saw her play for England in four Women’s World Cups, winning the title at France 2014, and bowed out as her country’s most-capped player with 137 in 2018 – a record she held until passed by former team-mate Sarah Hunter at RWC 2021.

The World Rugby Hall of Fame recognises those who have made an outstanding contribution to the game of rugby throughout their careers, while also demonstrating rugby’s character-building values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline, and respect.

Cantwell and Clark take the number of inductees to the Hall of Fame in 2025 to four, with former Australia fullback Matthew Burke and England and British and Irish Lions flanker Richard Hill inducted in Sydney ahead of the final test of the Lions tour to Australia on 2 August.

This year’s inductees will bring the total in the Hall of Fame to 175 since it began in 2006.

World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said: “On behalf of the global rugby family, I would like to congratulate Lynne Cantwell and Rocky Clark on their richly deserved inductions into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.

“Lynne was a generational talent and an inspirational part of an Ireland team that secured a first-ever Women’s Six Nations title and beat New Zealand on the way to a first Women’s Rugby World Cup semi-final. Rocky’s reputation as a world-class scrummager was deserved but her value went beyond that, and she was an integral part of a hugely successful era for England.

“The World Rugby Hall of Fame exists to honour the greats of our game, those whose legacy transcends results and statistics. Lynne and Rocky have earned their place, and we thank them for the extraordinary contribution they have made to the game around the world. I look forward to inducting them during what is already a record-breaking Women’s Rugby World Cup and a generational moment for our game.”

Lynne Cantwell (Ireland)
World Rugby Hall of Fame – Inductee No.174

Still Ireland’s most-capped women’s player 11 years post-retirement, Lynne Cantwell has contributed massively to the game on and off the field.

Brought up in a Gaelic football and soccer household, Cantwell’s first sport was, however, athletics, which she continued to pursue while studying sports science at the University of Limerick. It was after meeting Sarah Keane, the daughter of the late former Ireland men’s international Moss Keane, that Cantwell swapped her running shoes for rugby boots. It turned out to be an inspired decision, as Cantwell became a key player for not only the student side but also the newly formed UL Bohemians.

Starting out as a winger, the pacy Cantwell won her first cap for Ireland off the bench against England in March 2002. Ireland struggled to get results in those early years, but together with other generational talents like Fiona Coghlan and Joy Neville, they became a real force.

Cantwell, who transitioned to the centres and occasionally played fly-half in the green of Ireland, won 86 consecutive caps over 13 years, sharing in the 2013 Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam and competing in four Women’s Rugby World Cups – 2002 in Spain, 2006 in Canada, 2010 in England and 2014 in France, where they famously defeated New Zealand for the first time to reach Ireland’s first-ever semi-final.

She was part of Ireland’s first-ever women’s sevens team in 2006, formed part of the squad for Ireland’s first Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow in 2013, and helped Ireland qualify for their first World Series in the 2013-14 season. Post retirement, she joined Ireland’s Touch World Cup team, playing senior mixed touch at Malaysia 2019.

In more recent years, Cantwell has been an Executive Committee Board member with Sport Ireland. She and her family relocated to Cape Town to join Rassie Erasmus and Charles Wessels by taking on the role of Women’s High-Performance Manager for SA Rugby. She is now Head of Women’s Strategy for the IRFU.

Rochelle Clark
World Rugby Hall of Fame – Inductee No.175

Rochelle ‘Rocky’ Clark is the world’s most-capped women’s front-row and England’s second most-capped player of all time with 137 tests to her name. At the time of her international retirement in 2018, the prop held the record for most England test appearances, men’s or women’s.

Clark made her England debut off the bench against Canada in 2003 and enjoyed a 15-year career at the top, scoring 24 tries for her country. She played in four Women’s Rugby World Cups, with England crowned world champions on her third attempt in France in 2014.

One of the game’s big personalities, Clark also won eight Women’s Six Nations titles and had a reputation as one of the most powerful scrummagers in the game.

She was given the nickname Rocky when she was awarded her first England cap against Canada after the Rocky Mountains to mark the moment! The England forwards coach Graham Smith, from then on, went on to have the biggest impact on her playing career.

Clark tried her hand at a number of sports growing up, but settled on rugby after just two training sessions at Beaconsfield RFC in her home county of Buckinghamshire, and progressed to Henley.

While at university, Clark played for Clifton and then Blaydon before joining Worcester, where the loose-head played the majority of her senior club rugby. In her eight years there, Worcester broke the stranglehold of London clubs by winning the Women’s Premiership title in 2013. She finished up at Wasps, Saracens, and then Leicester, in a player-coach capacity at the latter two clubs. She also played for the Barbarian Women on four occasions.

Clark, who was awarded an MBE for her services to rugby in 2015, is now an accomplished commentator, speaker, and presenter. She also remains fully involved in rugby as a player/coach to the Buckingham Swans, as well as working as a sports coach at Bedford Modern School.