York Valkyrie stun Wigan to win Women's Super League Grand Final
York Valkyrie beat Wigan Warriors at the Brick Community Stadium in the Betfred Women's Super League Grand Final on 27 September 2026, securing victory through a first-half try from Sinead Peach and two goals from Ellie Williamson.
Under siege for much of a scoreless second half, York relied on intensive defending and the interventions of teenager Amelie Lenham, who was named player of the match, to repel Wigan's attacks; Try-scorer Sinead Peach had earlier played in the 2019 Women's Grand Final for Castleford and her ninth-minute score proved decisive. Wigan were reduced by sin-binnings in the first half, with Mia-Jayne Atherton and Eva Hunter both sent to the sin bin during the opening period, and York head coach Leon Pryce said Hunter should have been sent off for a forearm to the throat of Ellie Williamson as she carried the ball into contact, but "in the end it did not affect the result." York were missing Tara Jane Stanley through concussion and entered the match as the only team to have beaten Wigan this season.
Peach opened the scoring in the ninth minute, spinning through the Wigan defence close to the line after making the initial break as York dominated the opening exchanges. Atherton pulled Wigan level in the 18th minute following a fine break from Jenna Foubister, but she was then sin-binned for her part in a dangerous double tip tackle with Bethan Dainton on Jas Bell; Williamson kicked the resulting penalty to restore York's lead. Lenham went close to extending the lead before half-time and Liv Wood was held up over the line just after the break.
From that point York came under heavy pressure but defended resolutely throughout a scoreless second half, with substitute and starting players combining in a sustained defensive effort. Lisa Parker completed a match-high 47 tackles while playing with a broken hand; her fiance proposed on the touchline after the final whistle and, when asked, she replied, "She said yes." The Valkyrie, winners in 2023 and 2024, maintained their structure and game plan to preserve their narrow advantage.
Wigan, pre-match favourites, produced an error-strewn display that left them unable to establish their usual attacking rhythm and ultimately stunned by York's rearguard action. The contest featured York's disciplined execution of a straightforward game plan and Wigan's inability to convert sustained pressure into a match-winning score.
Wigan: Banks; Davies, Wilson, M Jones, Derbyshire; Foubister, Rowe; Coleman, Wilton, Sams, E. Hunter, C Jones, Williams Interchanges: Marsh, Atherton, Dainton, Salihi
York: Donovan; Kershaw, Woods, Leniham, Partington; Akwiwu, Williamson; A. Wood, Peach, Pakulis, O. Wood, Andrade, Parker Interchanges: Bell, Bibby, Brennan, Henderson
The victory made York Valkyrie the first side to win the Women's Super League three times.