Scotland's Culture Queen, Rhona Lloyd

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 13: Rhona Lloyd during a Scotland Women's team run at Hive Stadium, on September 13, 2024, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

“I’m massively excited for this Six Nations, especially with it being a Rugby World Cup year, it definitely adds another level of excitement to the competition”, said Rhona.

“We’re obviously not looking too far down the line yet, we have to focus on this competition here and now but we do have to recognise this is a huge year for women’s rugby.

“Obviously a lot of the girls in the squad have been playing in the PWR and Celtic Challenge, so it’s great that we can now we can focus on representing Scotland.”

Scotland will play three home games, an opportunity Lloyd is particularly excited about. Reflecting on last year’s record-breaking home attendance, she hopes the sport continues to grow: “We’re excited for the Six Nations regardless, but the fact we have three home games is always so fun. We had such good crowds at our home games last year including our biggest ever home crowd, and hopefully we can keep that up and keep growing the game.”

Rhona, who is known for her speed and flair to execute world-class tries, scored her first international try in the 2016 Six Nations finale against Ireland in Dublin and added another during the Rugby World Cup qualifier against Spain in Madrid later that year. Her pivotal second-half try contributed to Scotland Women’s 15-14 win against Wales in the 2017 Six Nations.

Despite now being in joint third place on the all-time try scoring record for Scotland Women with 25 (alongside Chloe Rollie), Rhona is quick to highlight the collective progress of Scotland’s squad rather than her own accolades.

“It’s weird to think about what I have achieved as an individual. What I recognise is what we have achieved together,” she explains.

“There has been huge growth in the squad and I’ve been really lucky to be part of it but on an individual level I don’t really think about that, especially with the talent coming through, I’m not sure how long I’ll hold onto any sort of record!”

When she first joined, wins were scarce; now, the team enters tournaments with genuine belief in their ability to compete, with winning records to back that up.

“It’s been so, so cool to be part of this journey where when I started the goal was to win one Six Nations game to now where we are talking about the belief that we have in ourselves to win matches, and there’s now that expectation on us to achieve. How our goals have evolved going into tournaments over the years because of our success and ability to win matches, that’s just really cool to be part of.”

One thing that hasn’t changed for the electrifying winger is her approach to culture and creating a positive environment for not only herself, but for others.

Captain Rachel Malcolm describes Rhona as “the heart and soul of our team”, adding: “She’s behind everything we do on and off the pitch, she’s always full of energy. She’s always singing, she’s always getting us singing and she’s fundamental to our culture. She’s always setting up stuff with other teams we play against, she is always at the forefront of engaging with others.”

So where does that all stem from?

“I think over the years I have recognised I play my best rugby when I’m enjoying it”, said Rhona.

“When I think about my values I think of the Scots Gaelic words ‘turas’ and ‘brosnachadh’, which mean ‘journey’ and ‘inspire’. I think the destination is the journey, I don’t know how much longer I will get to do this but it’s important to me that I enjoy every single second, on and off the pitch, and it’s about learning through the losses and ensuring what I do has an impact to those around me and to anyone who might be inspired by what we do.”

Scotland’s Rhona Lloyd with fans at full time during the Vodafone Series match between Scotland and Fiji at Hive Stadium.

“I remember when I was with Scotland Sevens there was a year where we didn’t have many training sessions before we went but we came ninth on the World Series, and that was huge. It’s one of my favourite memories and that tournament really made me reflect on how important culture is for winning performances.

“We had no right to perform at that tournament, but we achieved something really special, and I think what separated us from other teams was our culture, and that’s something I’ve taken forward in my career.”

It’s safe to say, that with a squad full of belief, a growing fanbase, and an evolving team culture, Lloyd is ready to continue her involvement. Whether she is sprinting down the wing, inspiring future generations, or leading a team singalong, Rhona remains a force to be reckoned within Scottish rugby.