Megan Gaffney

Megan Gaffney (born 3 December 1991) is a former Scottish rugby union player. She is from Edinburgh and has competed internationally for Scotland since 2011.[1] She has twice been selected for the Great Britain 7s training squad for the Rio and Tokyo Olympics.[2] She retired from international rugby at the end of 2022.

Megan Gaffney
Date of birth (1991-12-03) 3 December 1991
Place of birthEdinburgh, Scotland
Height1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in)
Weight70 kg (150 lb; 11 st 0 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Winger
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2019-2020 Watsonians ()
2020-present Heriot's Blues Women ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011–2022 Scotland 45 (0)

Club career

In 2020 Gaffney began to play for Heriots RFC.[3] Before this, she played for the Watsonians. In an interview with East Lothian Courier, she commented on her move: “It is a really forward-thinking club. I know a lot of the players there and I have watched the team progress.”[4]

Before joining the Watsonians, she had also played for Murrayfield Wanderers and Hillhead Jordanhill.[5] She scored the winning try in the last minute for Hillhead Jordanhill in the 2013 Sarah Beaney Cup Final at Murrayfield against RHC Cougars.[6]

Gaffney was in the Edinburgh University Women’s squad, which won three BUCS titles in 2016/17.[7]

International career

Gaffney has played for Scotland within the under-18, Scotland under-20, Scotland Women and Scotland Women 7s.[8]

Fifteens

Gaffney made her international debut off the bench for women's XVs against the Netherlands in Amsterdam in November 2011.[9] She secured her first start against England at Esher in the 2013 Women's Six Nations opener.[10]

In 2014, She scored her first points for Scotland against the Netherlands, running in two of the five tries in the FIRA WRWC qualifier win.[11] In 2017, she spent a year travelling in Australia and New Zealand, during which she played for the Manawatū Cyclones.[12]

Gaffney was part of the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship team and played in the team's defeat to England and Italy ahead of their closing game against Wales, which they went on to win.[13] Ahead of the match with Wales she told the BBC, "A win would be amazing. There's that saying, 'sometimes you win and sometimes you learn'. I feel like I've learned everything I need to know, I would like to win now."[14] During the match she scored the team's first try.[15] She was also part of the 2020 Women's Six Nations Championship, which was disrupted by COVID-19.[16]

Gaffney retired from international rugby after the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.[17][18]

Sevens

In 2012, she was selected to play for the Great Britain women's sevens team at the World Student Games 7s in Brive in July 2012.[19]

Gaffney played in all four tournaments during the debut Scotland Women 7s season in 2012, scoring a try against France in Amsterdam, three tries at Rugby Rocks London, two tries at the FIRA-AER European qualifier in Ghent and two tries at the FIRA WRWC qualifier in Moscow. In the FIRA Grand Prix Series in 2013, she scored against Italy (Brive) and Germany (Marbella).[20]

In 2016, she was included in the initial Great Britain Olympic training squad for Rio 2016.[21] In 2017, she scored a try against Romania in the Europe Women’s Sevens Trophy, helping the team to victory in the overall championship.[22]

In 2020, she was one of six female Scottish rugby players selected for the Team GB Sevens training squad for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics.[23] The GB Sevens team made headlines by putting Great Britain's men's and women's Olympic Sevens squads on equal pay.[24]

Personal life

Gaffney is a former North Berwick High School pupil, who began playing rugby aged seven for the North Berwick RFC Minis. At 15, she joined her high school team.[25]

Outside of rugby, she represented Scottish Schools in under-17 athletics.[26]

While completing her Masters in Sports Policy, Management and International Development at the University of Edinburgh, she played for the University team.[27]

The 28-year-old works for the School of Hard Knocks, which delivers life-changing programmes across the UK using rugby, boxing and strongman courses, supported by a curriculum of powerful life lessons.[28]

In 2020, she was selected from the women's Scottish team to model the homekit for Scotland's new season.[29]

Honours
  • Winner of World Student Games 7s 2012 with Team GB[30]
  • Winner of 2013 Sarah Beaney Cup Final with Hillhead Jordanhill[31]
  • Winner of the BUCS Championship final with University of Edinburgh 2016/17[32]
  • Winner of the 2017 Rugby Europe Women’s 7s trophy
  • Winner of Scotland Women 7s Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens Trophy 2017[22]

References
  1. "Megan Gaffney". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  2. Taylor, Megan (2021-03-03). "Heriot's Rugby Club congratulates Megan Gaffney on Team GB Sevens training squad selection". Heriots Rugby Club. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  3. Preece, John (2020-07-08). "Scotland's Megan Gaffney moves over to Heriots' Blues Women". The Edinburgh Reporter. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  4. "Gaffney in club switch ahead of the new season". East Lothian Courier. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  5. "Megan excited ahead of Cup final with Watsonians". Watsonians RFC. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  6. "Megan Gaffney". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  7. Max. "Megan Gaffney". Women's Rugby Data : Number 1 for Women's Rugby. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  8. "Megan Gaffney". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  9. "Scottish team for Dutch challenge named". Scrum Queens. 2011-10-18. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  10. "England Women 76-0 Scotland Women". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  11. "Women's Rugby World Cup: Scotland impress in Dutch win". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  12. "Scotland Women internationalist Megan Gaffney to take a break from rugby career". East Lothian Courier. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  13. "Liz Musgrove called into Scotland team for Six Nations clash". East Lothian Courier. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  14. "'Scotland have learned from defeats'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  15. "Scotland 27 Wales 20: Scots' hard work pays off to end Six Nations on a high". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  16. Megan Gaffney & Hannah Smith talk Six Nations, retrieved 2021-05-20
  17. Bean, Graham (2023-02-21). "Scotland winger Megan Gaffney retires from international rugby". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  18. Millar, Gregor (2023-02-22). "Megan Gaffney announces retirement from international rugby". East Lothian Courier. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  19. world.rugby. "Team GB women step up preparations for Rio 2016 | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  20. "Megan Gaffney". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  21. Max. "Megan Gaffney". Women's Rugby Data : Number 1 for Women's Rugby. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  22. "Liz Musgrove and Megan Gaffney help Scotland Women to 7s victory". East Lothian Courier. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  23. Taylor, Megan (2021-03-03). "Heriot's Rugby Club congratulates Megan Gaffney on Team GB Sevens training squad selection". Heriots Rugby Club. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  24. "GB Sevens sides put on equal pay scheme". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  25. Preece, John (2020-07-08). "Scotland's Megan Gaffney moves over to Heriots' Blues Women". The Edinburgh Reporter. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  26. Max. "Megan Gaffney". Women's Rugby Data : Number 1 for Women's Rugby. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  27. Student Spotlight: Megan Gaffney, retrieved 2021-05-20
  28. "Megan Gaffney selected for new Scotland kit reveal". East Lothian Courier. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  29. "Megan Gaffney selected for new Scotland kit reveal". East Lothian Courier. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  30. "Megan Gaffney". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  31. Max. "Megan Gaffney". Women's Rugby Data : Number 1 for Women's Rugby. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  32. "Scotland Women internationalist Megan Gaffney to take a break from rugby career". East Lothian Courier. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
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