Scottish try-scoring sensation Rhona Lloyd on finding the right balance: 'It will be rugby first - the job stuff can come later'

Rhona Lloyd took up rugby after Scotland international Sarah Quick came to her school in Edinburgh to lead a taster session. Lloyd was instantly hooked and joined Quick’s club soon afterwards.

Fast forward to 2016 and Quick was in the team when Lloyd made her Scotland debut against England in the Six Nations.

“It was really cool how that came back around. I now love going into schools – it was literally how I got involved. Just from meeting somebody that was nice and encouraging,” says Lloyd.

The winger has gone on to amass 25 caps for Scotland by the age of 23 and is in her second season with Loughborough Lightning. After an injury-plagued first season, Lloyd has stood out in the Tyrrells Premier 15s, scoring 10 tries in just six league appearances – four more than anyone else.

She plays down her incredible try-scoring record, attributing it to playing outside world-class internationals including “literally the best player in the world” in Emily Scarratt. Loughborough certainly boast a star-studded squad which includes Katy Daley-Mclean, World Rugby Player of the Year Scarratt and England captain Sarah Hunter. But Lloyd’s remarkable pace is the key to her ability to get over the try-line.

Lloyd is playing while also completing a masters at Loughborough University and doing an analyst internship with British Athletics. 

“We are really lucky that the support Lightning offers to everyone is equivalent to the full-time internationals,” she says. “The only difference is that [the England internationals] are recovering in their time off. Being a student is flexible, but those who are working can’t nip out at 11am to do skills for an hour.”

Lightning’s players use the world-class facilities at Loughborough but they are not professional. “It is challenging training like a full-time athlete without the funding of a full-time athlete,” says Lloyd.

“Do you celebrate that things are improving or that, actually, there are only 28 professional women rugby players [in England]? I think you need to celebrate the improvements while recognising there is still a long way to go.”

Alongside her rugby and university commitments, Lloyd co-hosts a podcast titled “Women Who Sport” with Loughborough and Scotland team-mate Sarah Bonar. “The podcast is by female athletes talking to other female athletes. It has been so inspiring,” says Lloyd.

Lightning have had a mixed start to the season, winning and losing three games apiece after making it to the semi-finals last year.

“We ran close against Bristol, Saracens and Harlequins in the games that we lost. Although it might not be the ideal start, for the team’s mental toughness and learning how to control and win a game, it will pay off come the end of the season,” says Lloyd.

Today Loughborough face Richmond, who have had a difficult start to the campaign, having won just once.

Back on the international stage, Scotland had a disappointing autumn campaign as they were beaten comfortably by Wales before losing to Japan in the 79th minute last weekend.

“I was totally blown away by how fast Japan played. I was not expecting that and in the first 10 minutes they scored two tries,” says Lloyd – a familiar story for teams playing against Japanese teams these days.

The gap between international and club rugby is no longer the vast chasm it once was due to the quality of the Tyrrells, according to Lloyd. The competition attracts talent from across the world, making the transition between the two far easier.

Lloyd finishes her masters in September and will have to balance a job with rugby. Scottish Rugby awards only 10 contracts which provide monetary support and the majority of those players work at least part-time. So which will be the priority for Lloyd?

“It will be rugby first. A lot of girls are making these seemingly ridiculous decisions. If you didn’t play rugby, and know what it means, then you’d think we are mad. The job stuff can come later.”