Nuala Collins joins Hornets Women for 2025

Rochdale Hornets Women have announced the signing of forward Nuala Collins for the 2025 season.

The 17-year-old outside back joins Rochdale Hornets. The niece of Super League Leigh Leopards, Claire Collins, Nuala will be looking to follow in her Auntie's footsteps by starting her rugby league career with the Hornets, and is a welcomed addition to the squad, having played four times for Lancashire Rugby Union and is a product of the Rochdale Rugby Union system.

She becomes the twenty-first signing to join Ben Bird's squad for the 2025 season.

“I’m really excited to be joining Rochdale Hornets for 2025 as it’s a new sport, a new club, and an amazing set of women to be joining! Thank you to my Auntie Claire for convincing me to take up Rugby League and I can’t wait to see how it goes!. I'd like to thank Ben, Rob & Matt for welcoming me to the team and the opportunity to play Rugby League”

Rochdale Hornets Women head coach Ben Bird said: “I'm so pleased to have Nuala join us. A large part of my reason why is to help give women and particularly young women, a pathway in to the game that they haven't been given before. Nuala is a Rochdale girl and comes from a strong Rochdale rugby family. Her aunt Claire, a current member of the Leigh Leopards Super League squad who started her RL career at Hornets, has also appeared for us on dual-reg this season. Nuala comes with a rugby union background, playing at Rochdale RU and this year has represented Lancashire. She's athletic, strong and loves to defend. She's an exciting addition to our squad and we're all really excited to see her in the Hornets kit this weekend.”