Lisa Thomson

Lisa Thomson (born 7 September 1997) is a Scottish rugby union player, who captained for Scotland Women in 2018–19.[1] She plays for Scotland and was vice-captain for the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship.[2]

Lisa Thomson
Date of birth (1997-09-07) 7 September 1997
Place of birthMelrose, Scotland
Height1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in)
Weight77 kg (170 lb; 12 st 2 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017–present  Scotland 35 (30)
Medal record
Women's rugby sevens
Representing  Great Britain
European Games
Gold medal – first place2023 Kraków–MałopolskaTeam competition

Club career

Thomson rose up through the ranks playing for East of Scotland under-18s, Scotland under-18 and under-20. She was part of a team that won the Brewin Dolphin under-15 Cup in 2012 when she played for Langholm under-15s. She also played for Murrayfield Wanderers under-18s, before joining Melrose Ladies.

She was awarded the Keri Holdsworth Player of the Match when Edinburgh beat St Andrew's in the Varsity Cup in 2015.

She signed her first professional contract in 2017 with the SRU to play in France for French club Lille Metropole Rugby Club Villeneuvois (LMRCV) for the season of 2017–18, alongside fellow Scottish player Chloe Rollie.[3] This provided significant opportunities for their progression in the sport and was the first contract of its kind for Scottish female players.[4]

Following this, she returned to Edinburgh to finish her studies, while playing for DMP Sharks. [5]

International career

Thomson made her international debut against England at Broadwood in the 2016 Six Nations opener. She is a Scottish Rugby-supported player, who was the captain for Scotland Women for the 2018/19 season. When Scotland beat Italy in the Women's Six Nations Championship of 2017, Thomson played a key role, setting up the home side's first try for Chloe Rollie, helping the team fight back from 12-0 down to secure a 14–12 victory.[6]

Thomson was selected to travel to South Africa with Scotland Women in their first ever tour and their first ever matches in the Southern Hemisphere in 2019, where they obtained two victories.

She is vice-captain for the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship. The team lost to England and Italy, before beating Wales 27–20 to claim fifth place in the championship.[7] Scotland captain of the 2021 Women's Six Nations, Rachel Malcolm, said of her teammate, “For me Lisa is probably the most well-rounded rugby player we have in our Scotland team. She leads so well in terms of organising the game and she has a brilliant rugby head and an unbelievable skillset."[8]

She turned pro in 2016, when she was enlisted as a Stage Three player in the BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy.[9]

In 2022, she was captain at the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup.[10] and 2022 Commonwealth Games.[11]

Personal life

A former pupil of Trinity PS and Hawick HS, Lisa Thomson got involved with rugby at 5 years old playing for the Robbie Dyes in Hawick, and then played through primary school with Jedburgh minis. The town of Hawick is known for its community's passion for rugby and she frequently watched matches with her parents while growing up.[12]

She played at Langholm youth sections, then a season for Murrayfield Wanderers U18s.[13] This was followed by two seasons for Melrose Ladies at 17, playing her first senior rugby there. She moved on to play for Edinburgh University, while studying Applied Sports Science there, before interrupting her studies to move to Lille in France for one season. She also spent time playing football for junior clubs but has stated in interviews that she preferred rugby as a contact sport.[14]

She is also a Community coach at Edinburgh Harlequins Youth Section.

Honours
  • Keri Holdsworth Player of the Match (Edinburgh vs St Andrew's, Varsity Cup, 2015)[15]
  • Won the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Premier North League (2017, BUCS 7s and BUCS Championship with Edinburgh University)[16]
  • Semi Final of the Top 8 in 2017 with Lille Metropole Rugby Club Villeneuvois[17]
  • HSBC World Series Qualifiers Finalists 2019[18]

References
  1. "New Scotland captain Lisa Thomson used to play minis with Darcy Graham". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  2. "Scotland side named for Welsh finale". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  3. Bathgate, Stuart (24 August 2017). "Chloe Rollie and Lisa Thomson join the pro ranks with Lille deal". The Offside Line. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  4. Chloe Rollie & Lisa Thomson on their move to France, retrieved 27 April 2021
  5. "Borderers Lana Skeldon, Lisa Thomson and Chloe Rollie named in Scottish women's rugby team to play Australia at weekend". www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  6. "Scotland Women 14 - 12 Italy Women: Chloe Rollie runs show". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  7. Rendell, Sarah (24 April 2021). "Women's Six Nations: England, Ireland and Scotland win on finals day!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  8. "The incredible tackler, the terrier and the organiser with a great rugby brain: Three to watch for Scotland – GH Media". Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  9. Bathgate, Stuart (24 August 2017). "Chloe Rollie and Lisa Thomson join the pro ranks with Lille deal". The Offside Line. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  10. "Scotland can't get carried away in World Cup opener, says Lisa Thomson". www.scotsman.com. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  11. "Hawick rugby star Lisa Thomson skippers Scotland women at Commonwealth Games". www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  12. Lisa Thomson | Getting into rugby, retrieved 29 April 2021
  13. "Lisa Thomson". www.ultimaterugby.com. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  14. Lisa Thomson | Getting into rugby, retrieved 27 April 2021
  15. "Lisa Thomson". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  16. "Rugby success for Edinburgh at Twickenham". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  17. Preece, John (1 October 2017). "Rugby – Lille Metropole Rugby Club Villenuevois v AC Bobigny 93, French Top 8". The Edinburgh Reporter. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  18. "Scots women to take part in new 7s Challenger event in South Africa". www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
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