Ireland back rower Aoife Wafer has been voted the 2026 Guinness Women's Six Nations Player of the Championship.
It is the second consecutive year in which the Wexford native, 23, has scooped the award. In a strong cohort of nominees – England’s Meg Jones, Italy’s Francesca Sgorbini, and France’s Pauline Bourdon Sansus – the Harlequins forward took a substatial 40% of the fan vote.
Wafer was presented with the Guinness Player of the Championship award in a special event at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in London’s Covent Garden.
"I don't even know what to say," said Wafer on receiving the award. "Last year I was the first ever Irish woman and the youngest to do it, and to back it up is pretty special. The girls back home will agree with me that these sort of things don't happen without them. I'm just grateful that I'm part of an incredible team, and I get to come back to Quins and be a part of an incredible team here too."
Since the individual accolade was first presented in the women’s Championship in 2020, no player has received the award in back-to-back years – until now. Wafer’s success has been built on all-action performances in the green jersey: in this year’s Championship, she scored five tries, made 78 carries, five turnovers, and beat 20 defenders.
One Wafer highlight from the 2026 campaign was her assist for Beibhinn Parsons’ try against Wales in round three. Picking up from the back of a scrum, she took on multiple would-be Welsh defenders before producing a sublime offload for the winger’s try.
Scott Bemand’s side finished the 2026 Championship in third, winning three games from five and concluding the campaign with a record-breaking win over Scotland at Aviva Stadium.