Kevin Sinfield, the former rugby league captain turned England rugby union assistant coach, has been awarded a knighthood in the King’s Birthday Honours list. But the honors also shine a light on Gary Street, the 2014 World Cup-winning women’s coach, who received an MBE after surviving a stroke in 2024.
Sinfield, 44, called the recognition “deeply honored” and said the award belongs as much to the MND community as it does to him. Since his friend and former Leeds Rhinos teammate Rob Burrow died from motor neuron disease in 2024, Sinfield has raised millions through endurance challenges, including seven marathons in seven days.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to receive this award on behalf of the rugby and MND communities,” Sinfield said. “The MND community are the very best of us and it has been my privilege to support them.”
Sinfield was already a CBE, OBE, and MBE recipient. The knighthood caps a career that saw him captain Leeds to 15 major honors in 18 seasons, then transition into coaching — first as RFL performance director, then helping Leicester Tigers win the 2021–22 Gallagher Premiership before joining Steve Borthwick’s England staff.
England head coach Borthwick said: “Kevin’s commitment to others sets an incredible example… No one is more deserving of this recognition.”
But the most compelling story in this year’s list may be Gary Street. The 2014 World Cup-winning coach suffered a stroke last year and has since received an outpouring of support from players whose careers he shaped. Street led England women to six Six Nations titles in his first six seasons, including five Grand Slams, plus two Nations Cups, before the crowning moment: a 21-9 victory over Canada in Paris in 2014 that ended a 20-year world title drought for England.
His wife, Helen, said: “Gary is incredibly honored and grateful to receive an MBE… Winning the 2014 Rugby World Cup remains one of the proudest and most memorable moments of his life.”
Emily Scarratt Adds OBE to Legendary Career
Also honored was Emily Scarratt, the Red Roses’ all-time leading points scorer, who received an OBE. After retiring from playing in October 2025, the 2019 World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year has been part of England’s coaching staff, helping the team secure a fifth consecutive Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam.
“It’s a huge honor and incredibly humbling,” Scarratt said. “Every moment and memory in the game has been shaped by the people around me.”
Red Roses head coach John Mitchell added: “Thousands of women, young girls and boys have benefited from her example as a role model.”
The trio’s honors reflect different arcs of the same sport: Sinfield’s crossover from league to union and his relentless MND fundraising, Street’s quiet rebuilding of women’s rugby from near-obscurity to global dominance, and Scarratt’s seamless transition from player to coach. All three demonstrate that rugby’s real legacy isn’t trophies — it’s the lives changed along the way.
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