The Kennedy Legacy

Scotland's Donna Kennedy (centre) says goodbye to her team mates after her final appearance during the 7th Place Play-Off at Surrey Sports Park, Guildford.

Today, her legacy is further enshrined as she is inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.

“It’s like the damehood of rugby isn’t it?”, said Donna. “Getting that email through to tell me the news, it was just like ‘wow!’. It feels so surreal but it’s such an honour.

“Karen (Jones, Donna’s wife) will be coming to the ceremony in Monaco with me. It’ll be very special to have her with me. She’s been on my rugby journey with me, and she played for England as well, so it’ll be special for us both to be there. I feel like I’m sharing this award with her.

“I feel like this recognition isn’t just about me, and I really mean that. It’s recognition of the journey I’ve been on with Scotland Women. I hold it up for everyone – players and coaches – it’s not just for me.”

Donna’s journey in the sport started at Biggar Rugby Club in 1991 when she transitioned from athletics to rugby at the age of 19.

“Growing up I was very sporty at high school. I grew up in Biggar and there was a young farmer’s community and we did tug of war. When Biggar were setting up the women’s side, the club thought, ‘right who are we going to ask to potentially come along and start up a women’s rugby team? I know we’ll ask the tug of war girls!’ That was it. We all said yes and I didn’t look back.”

Just a few years later, Donna made her international debut playing against Ireland in Scotland Women’s first-ever international fixture in 1993, marking the beginning of a storied international career.

Scotland’s Donna Kennedy runs into Ireland’s Helen Brosnan during the 7th Place Play-Off in the 2010 Rugby World Cup at Surrey Sports Park, Guildford.

The formidable back rower went on to score 29 tries and captain her country, she was also part of the history-making squad to secure Scotland Women their first Grand Slam in 1998, she featured in five World Cups (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010) and was named the IRB Women’s Personality of the Year in 2005 – the only Scot to ever receive this accolade.

What may be most impressive about Donna’s playing career is that each of her 115 caps were earned from a starting position.

“At the time we only played four or five tests a year so there wasn’t a lot of rugby to be played. Over the course of my playing career the game changed a lot, it’s always evolving, and you have to evolve with it so I think there’s a lot of resilience you have to build in. You’ve got to be quite a driven individual and there’s no doubt about it, I am very driven.

“I think one of the proudest things of my career is that all my caps are starting caps – 115. Of course it’s a team sport, but I wanted to start every game. I wanted to be the best person selected for that position, and that’s what kept me driven through all that time.”

During her time playing rugby, Donna had a thriving career in the veterinary industry, and she adds that her ability to play for Scotland as many times as she did was down to her employer’s understanding at the time.

“Any employer that I worked for was fully supportive of me. I was always known as ‘Donna the rugby player’. I was always given my time off to do my rugby and I know I was lucky in that respect because there were a lot of players whose work meant they had to take unpaid leave to play for their country, which I’m glad isn’t the case anymore.

“I think things are relevant to the times that you play, it had to start somewhere and I am very proud to have been part of that foundation for women’s rugby but to see professionalisation get off the ground is fantastic.”

As Donna’s playing career came to a close in 2010, she faced the difficult challenge of stepping away from the sport that had defined her life. However, she transformed this transition into an opportunity to give back, channelling her passion into coaching and mentoring.

Following coaching age-grade rugby, the Barbarians, and Worcester, Donna founded 115 Coaching Ltd, dedicated to using her experience gained through rugby as a business performance coach. Alongside her former Scotland teammates, she co-founded the Scottish Thistles Rugby Clan, which supports the past, present and future of Scottish women’s rugby. Donna is now a trustee of both the relationship counselling charity Relate and of the Star Scheme, which uses rugby to support young people who have endured multiple adverse childhood/community experiences (ACEs) or mental health issues.

“My career in rugby is still going and has evolved over the years. I’ve gone from a player to a coach, to a mentor. I’ve got so much from the game for so many years; I just want to give something back. Rugby gives you a sense of belonging, I belong to the rugby family. I will do anything I can to stay connected to the game and help other people. I think connecting the past, present and future of the game is so important.”

Earlier this year Donna’s remarkable career was further marked as Scottish Rugby teamed up with Scottish Gas to unveil sustainable statues of Donna, Lisa Thomson and Fran McGhie to mark the past, present and future of women’s rugby in Scotland.

Rugby trailblazer statues unveiled in Edinburgh ahead of Guinness Women’s Six Nations 2024. Left to Right : Lisa Thomson, Donna Kennedy and Francesca McGhie with their statues at the unveiling on Castle Street, Edinburgh.

At the time, Donna remarked on the ‘surreal’ experience of seeing herself in statue form, saying: “It is pretty surreal, when you actually see a statue of yourself and you are called a trailblazer it takes some getting used to because I never saw myself as that when I was playing, I was just representing my country to the best of my ability.”

Her latest recognition as she is inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame is not just an acknowledgement of her rugby career but stands as a beacon of inspiration for Scotland, for rugby, and for women everywhere. Her impact and status as a legend is undeniable.

Donna Kennedy alongside DJ Forbes and Chris Laidlaw of New Zealand and Sergio Parisse of Italy as they are inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.