England Rugby players recognised at The Rugby Awards for 2024-25 season
Tuesday’s 'The Rugby Awards' saw a number of England Rugby players rewarded for their performances during the 2024-25 season.
The England Men’s player of the season award went to Tommy Freeman following his impressive try-scoring feats during the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations. Zoe Aldcroft won the England Women’s player of the season after leading the Red Roses to a seventh successive Six Nations title.
Fellow Red Rose Meg Jones received the award for PWR player of the season in recognition of her outstanding performances for Leicester Tigers Women, after a difficult year personally where she lost both her parents.
“Rugby is my saving grace,” said Jones.
“A lot of people that play the game, it is such an important part of our lives and it definitely helped me through some tough times.
“Being surrounded by some amazing women and amazing support helps you through it. The game’s given me a lot and I forever feel indebted to it.”
Freeman’s England teammate Ellis Genge was named community player of the season after the Bristol Bears prop launched the Genge Fund to support youth charities across Bristol.
He said: “I get a lot of kids who reach out and share their journey with me. So I thought instead of sitting around and deleting those messages, I would do something about it.
“I hadn’t really thought about it too much but weirdly as you get older, you sort of understand that the better you play and the more important you become in the game, the bigger impact you can have.”
Henry Pollock and Millie David were recognised as the breakthrough players of the season for the Gallagher Premiership and Premiership Women’s Rugby respectively.
Pollock has enjoyed a meteoric rise since winning the World Rugby U20 Championship last season and scored twice on his senior England debut against Wales. David was a prolific try scorer for Bristol Bears Women, scoring 16 tries to be named PWR top try scorer alongside Saracens and Red Roses hooker May Campbell.
Bristol Bears wing Gabriel Ibitoye and Leicester Tigers wing Ollie Hassell-Collins shared the Premiership top try scorer award, with 13 tries apiece as they helped their respective sides to the play-offs.
