Tara-Jane Stanley
Personal information
Full nameTara-Jane Stanley
Born (1993-09-04) 4 September 1993 (age 30)
Widnes, Cheshire, England,
Weight69 kg (10 st 12 lb)
Playing information
PositionFullback, Centre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2016–17 Thatto Heath Crusaders 5 2 6 0 20
2018–21 Castleford Tigers 5 1 4 0 12
2022– York Valkyrie 4 10 25 0 90
Total 14 13 35 0 122
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2012– England 19 14 59 0 174
As of 14 November 2022

Tara-Jane Stanley is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a fullback for York Valkyrie in the Women's Super League. She has played at representative level for England, and club level for Thatto Heath Crusaders and Castleford Tigers Women.[1]

Playing career

Stanley began her rugby career playing for Moorfield Angels.[2]

In 2012, Stanley was part of the Widnes team that won the Challenge Shield by defeating Stanningley 22–4 in the final. Stanley, who scored two tries, was named player of the match.[3] In 2013, she was named the BARLA Ladies Player of the Year.[4]

She was shortlisted for the inaugural Woman of Steel award in 2018,[5][6] but lost out to Castleford Tigers teammate Georgia Roche.[7]

In December 2021, it was announced the Stanley had signed for York City Knights for the 2022 season.[8] Stanley won the Woman of Steel award in 2022.[9][10] Stanley was nominated for Woman of Steel again in 2023 but this time lost out to York teammate Sinead Peach.[11][12]

In October 2023, York Valkyrie became the first English club to offer professional contracts to players and Stanley was one of the first three to sign a two-year deal.[13]

Representative career

Stanley, who made her England debut in 2012, has heritage number 43.[14][15] She has represented England at the 2013,[16] 2017[17] and 2021 World Cups.[18]

In 2018, Stanley was Player of the Match as England beat France 54–4 in Carcassonne.[19]

Stanley was named in the Women's Team of the Tournament at the 2021 World Cup.[20]

Test match appearances

Cap Date Opponent Position Tries Goals Pts Match Report Club
1 15 Jun 2012  France Fullback 1 6 16 ERL[21] Widnes[3]
2 11 Jul 2013  France Fullback 1 0 4 ERL[16] Crosfields[22]
3 21 Jun 2017  France Wing 0 3 6 RLC[23] Thatto Heath-St Helens
4 24 Jun 2017  France Wing 1 1 6 RLC[24] Thatto Heath-St Helens[25]
5 16 Nov 2017  Papua New Guinea Wing 1 4 12 ERL[17] Thatto Heath St Helens
6 19 Nov 2017  Australia Wing 0 0 0 ERL[26] Thatto Heath St Helens
7 22 Nov 2017  Cook Islands Wing 0 0 0 ERL[27] Thatto Heath St Helens
8 26 Nov 2017  New Zealand Wing 1 0 4 ERL[28] Thatto Heath St Helens
9 27 Oct 2018  France Fullback 2 5 18 RLC[29] Castleford Tigers
10 9 Nov 2019  Papua New Guinea Fullback 0 0 0 RLC[30] Castleford Tigers
11 16 Nov 2019  Papua New Guinea Centre 1 2 8 NRL[31] Castleford Tigers
12 25 Jun 2021  Wales Fullback 0 6 12 ERL[32] Castleford Tigers
13 23 Oct 2021  France Fullback 0 5 10 ERL[33] Castleford Tigers
14 12 Jun 2022  Wales Fullback 0 4 8 ERL[34] York City Knights
15 18 Jun 2022  France Fullback 0 4 8 ERL[35] York City Knights
16 1 Nov 2022  Brazil Centre 2 8 24 ERL[36] York Valkyrie
17 5 Nov 2022  Canada Centre 3 5 22 ERL[37] York Valkyrie
18 9 Nov 2022  Papua New Guinea Centre 1 5 14 ERL[38] York Valkyrie
19 14 Nov 2022  New Zealand Centre 0 1 2 ERL[39] York Valkyrie
20 29 Apr 2023  France Fullback 1 8 20 ERL[40] York Valkyrie
21 4 Nov 2023  Wales Fullback 2 8 24 ERL[41] York Valkyrie

References

  1. ^ "Try for Thatto Heath-St Helens' Tara Jane Stanley, but World Cup KO for England". St Helens Star. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  2. ^ "1 Tara Jane Stanley". York RLFC. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b Smith, Sophia (16 July 2012). "Rugby: Widnes win Challenge Shield Final". Sport Sister. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  4. ^ Smith, Denise (28 June 2013). "BARLA - Chairmans Annual Report 2013". West Leeds ARLFC. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  5. ^ "RFL introduce "Woman of Steel" award". Love Rugby League. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Woman of Steel: Lois Forsell, Tara-Jane Stanley and Georgia Roche on shortlist". BBC Sport. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Ben Barba named Steve Prescott Man of Steel". Rugby-League.com. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  8. ^ "England star Stanley joins the Knights!". York RLFC. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Tara-Jane Stanley named Woman of Steel". Rugby-League.com. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  10. ^ McAllister, Josh (22 September 2022). "York's Tara-Jane Stanley named 2022 Woman of Steel". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  11. ^ "Woman of Steel 2023 nominees announced, including 2022 winner Tara-Jane Stanley". Sky Sports. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Bevan French: Wigan Warriors stand-off wins 2023 Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel award". BBC Sport. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Women's Super League champions York Valkyrie make history as players sign professional contracts". Sky Sports. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  14. ^ "England Women name squad for French Test". Rugby-League.com. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  15. ^ Powell, Jennie (8 November 2019). "England Women's Rugby League Team play the PNG Orchids". 4 The Love Of Sport. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  16. ^ a b "England 42 v 6 France - Match Report". European Rugby League. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  17. ^ a b "England 36 v 8 Papua New Guinea - Match Report". European Rugby League. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  18. ^ "England 72 v 4 Brazil". European Rugby League. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Report: France Women 4-54 England Women". www.rugby-league.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  20. ^ "RLWC2021 Teams of the Tournament announced". Rugby League World Cup 2021. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  21. ^ "England 48 v 0 France - Match Report". European Rugby League. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Women's World Cup Squads". Web Archive. 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Report - France Women 16-26 England Women". Rugby-League.com. 22 June 2017. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  24. ^ "Report - France Women 8-14 England Women". Rugby-League.com. 25 June 2017. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  25. ^ "England Women's squad named for Rugby League World Cup". Rugby-League.com. 9 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  26. ^ "Australia 38 v 0 England - Match Report". European Rugby League. 19 November 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  27. ^ "England 16 v 22 Cook islands". European Rugby League. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  28. ^ "New Zealand 54 v 4 England - Match Report". European Rugby League. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  29. ^ "Report: France Women 4-54 England Women". Rugby-League.com. 27 October 2018. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  30. ^ "Report: PNG Orchids 10-24 England Women". Rugby-League.com. 9 November 2019. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  31. ^ "Orchids upset England with last-minute try". NRL. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  32. ^ "England 60 v 0 Wales". European Rugby League. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  33. ^ "France 4 v 40 England - Match Report". European Rugby League. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  34. ^ "Wales 6 v 32 England - Match Report". European Rugby League. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  35. ^ "England 36 v 10 France - Match Report". European Rugby League. 18 June 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  36. ^ "England 72 v 4 Brazil - Match Report". European Rugby League. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  37. ^ "England 54 v 4 Canada - Match Report". European Rugby League. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  38. ^ "England 42 v 4 Papua New Guinea - Match Report". European Rugby League. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  39. ^ "England 6 v 20 New Zealand - Match Report". European Rugby League. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  40. ^ "England 64 v 0 France - Match Report". European Rugby League. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  41. ^ "England 60 v 0 Wales - Match Report". European Rugby League. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2024.

External links

England squad – 2021 Women's Rugby League World Cup
Woman of Steel Award
Categories