Megan Gaffney Looks Back on Her Rugby Journey Ahead of Watsonian FC v Biggar RFC

New for this season, one fixture across Scottish Rugby competitions – including the Arnold Clark Men’s and Women’s Premiership and the Boys’ U18 Open Competition – will receive additional coverage each week and is broadcast live on the Scottish Rugby YouTube Channel. 

This week, the spotlight turns to Myreside for Watsonians v Biggar, with both sides looking to strengthen their position in a tightly contested Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership table. 

Watsonians and Biggar currently sit on 16 points, occupying fourth and fifth place respectively. Both have recorded three wins from their opening four matches, with just one defeat apiece. Watsonians only loss came against Stirling County in Round Two, while Biggar suffered their first defeat of the campaign against Hillhead Jordanhill last weekend. 

Ahead of the featured fixture, we caught up with former Scotland international Megan Gaffney to reflect on her playing journey and the role the Scottish club and pathway system can play in supporting players as they develop and progress towards the international stage. 

Gaffney’s rugby journey began at North Berwick minis at the age of six. At a time when opportunities for girls in team sports were more limited, rugby quickly gave her a place where she felt comfortable being herself. 

“I just remember, even though I was very young, finding somewhere that I could completely be myself,” Gaffney recalled. “It was okay to be rough and tumble and get a bit muddy and be competitive.” 

From those early beginnings, Gaffney progressed through the Scottish Rugby pathway, representing Scotland at U18 and U20 level before going on to play Scotland 7s and eventually making her Scotland Women debut against the Netherlands in November 2011. 

Her club career took her through a number of Scottish teams, including Murrayfield Wanderers, Hillhead Jordanhill RFC and Watsonians, before she finished her playing career with Heriot’s Rugby Women. 

Each club played a different role in her development. Gaffney joined Murrayfield Wanderers at 17, stepping into senior rugby alongside established Scotland internationals. 

“Playing alongside current international Scotland players really opened my eyes to where I needed to get to,” she said. “It also lit a bit of a fire inside me that I wanted to take this rugby thing as far as I could.” 

Her time at Hillhead Jordanhill RFC helped her further develop her understanding of her own game, while joining Watsonians following a year playing in New Zealand provided a different kind of experience. 

Returning from New Zealand, Gaffney was unsure of her next steps and was also recovering from injury. She found a welcoming Watsonians environment where she could play without pressure and in her words, with “complete freedom” – giving her the space to work out what came next. 

That support ultimately helped her make her way back into the Scotland set-up. 

For Gaffney, that journey highlights exactly why the pathway matters. 

“The pathways are hugely important for skill development obviously and game understanding and management,” she explained. “It would be hard to go straight from club rugby into international, so there needs to be steppingstones in between.” 

But she believes the pathway offers more than simply developing rugby skills. It also helps young players understand what it means to be an elite athlete and gives them realistic goals to work towards. 

“It’s important that people have something to aim for and something that feels reachable and achievable,” she said. 

Gaffney is particularly excited about the current opportunities available to players, including the development of the professional women’s game in Edinburgh and Glasgow. 

“I love the pathway that we have now and I think Edinburgh and Glasgow will be a massive part of the growth of the game,” she said. “I wish that there had been something like that while I was still playing, but it just shows you where the game is going.” 

Following her playing career, she took on the role of Director of Women’s Rugby at Heriot’s Rugby Club, using her experience to help develop the club’s women’s programme and create opportunities for players to progress. 

Her focus was not simply on bringing in players who were already at the top of their game, but on creating an environment where players could improve and if they wanted to, progress towards Edinburgh or Scotland. 

That experience also reinforced for Gaffney the many different reasons women play rugby. 

“What I realised was how many women play rugby not necessarily for the performance factor, but to feel part of something, to have a purpose and to understand what their body can do,” she said. 

That sense of belonging is something she has always associated with rugby and one of the reasons she has remained involved in the sport since stepping away from playing. 

It is also why Gaffney believes visibility is so important for the continued growth of the women’s game. 

“It’s really important for the women’s game to be shown to a wider audience,” she said. “The players need to understand that what they do matters and they are valued.” 

This weekend’s Watsonians v Biggar fixture provides another opportunity to do exactly that, putting two of the Premiership’s competitive sides in front of a wider audience and highlight the talent within the Scottish club game. 

For Gaffney, seeing women’s rugby broadcast and given the same importance as the men’s game can help challenge misconceptions and inspire the next generation. 

“I really believe that if you can’t see it, you can’t be it,” she said. “We need to have rugby accessible to women and girls across the country so they know that it’s there.” 

As Watsonians and Biggar meet at Myreside with both sides looking to move up the Premiership table, their Round Five clash will offer a snapshot of the talent and ambition within the women’s club game in Scotland. 

The match will be broadcast live on the Scottish Rugby YouTube Channel, with kick-off scheduled for 2pm. 

Elsewhere in the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership, Hillhead Jordanhill RFC will face Cartha Queen’s Park under the Friday night lights, with kick-off scheduled for 7:30pm tonight. 

Corstorphine RFC will host Garioch RFC, with the visitors looking to build on their Round Four victory. 

The Round Five fixture between Heriot’s Rugby Women and Stirling County will take place on Saturday 24 October following postponement. 

Meanwhile, the Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership will have its first scheduled break of the season this weekend, with the competition returning next Saturday, 17 October, for Round Seven.