The Beginnings of Women’s Rugby in Scotland

The foundations of the journey stretch back decades. 

The story began in 1962 with the formation of the Edinburgh Amazons, a university team that planted the seeds for women’s rugby in Scotland. By 1987, the competitive spirit had spread across the country, with regular matches played between the universities of St Andrews, Aberdeen, Stirling, Glasgow and Edinburgh. 

In 1990, Edinburgh Women WRFC was established as Scotland’s first domestic women’s club. Just one year later, the club broke new ground by securing permission to compete in the Scottish University League while also testing themselves in the Women’s Rugby Football Union (WRFU) Northern Division, travelling regularly to the north of England for league fixtures. 

International women’s rugby kicks-off 

Years of development at grassroots and university level ultimately led to a landmark moment for the sport. 

On Valentine’s Day 1993, Scotland hosted Ireland at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh for the first official women’s international match involving Scotland. For both teams, the game represented the culmination of years of effort building women’s rugby in their respective countries. 

Leading from the front was Scotland’s first captain, Sandra Colamartino, who scored both tries in the historic match. 

Reflecting on the progress made since that cold February afternoon in 1993, Sandra remains a passionate advocate for the game and the community it builds. 

“It means the world to see today’s girls and women enjoying their rugby at such a high level. Rugby delivers so much mentally and physically, and you build friendships that last a lifetime. On International Women’s Day, while we recognise all that has been achieved, we must keep working hard to ensure the game continues to thrive for all. As women, we must never take our eye off the ball.” 

– Sandra Colamartino, captain of the first Scotland Women’s rugby international team. 

Running out alongside Colamartino that day were players whose names have become synonymous with the grit and passion of Scottish rugby. The squad featured icons of the game like Donna Kennedy, who would go on to become one of the world’s most-capped players, and Lee Cockburn, a powerhouse of the early era. 

The 1993 debut served as the catalyst for a decade of rapid growth. Only one year later, the Scottish Women’s Rugby Union (SWRU) stepped in to host the 1994 World Cup on incredibly short notice. The foundations laid at Raeburn Place eventually paved the way for the legendary 1998 Grand Slam winning side, a team that featured several pioneers from that very first match against Ireland. 

Today, as the squad prepares to run out in front of record-breaking crowds at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, they follow the trail blazed by Colamartino and her teammates. Their legacy is felt in every tackle, every try, and every young girl picking up a rugby ball for the first time this International Women’s Day. 

Growth of the domestic rugby 

As the international team developed, the domestic game across Scotland continued to grow. Clubs began to emerge across the country helping to establish strong local foundations for the senior national team. 

Today, there are 62 Clubs with Female Youth Teams and 71 Clubs with a Female Adult Teams competing across Scotland stretching from Orkney to Biggar, Oban to Cupar. (get the stat from rugby dev/Rosy Ryan) 

At age-grade level there are now national conferences and regional leagues for U16 and U18 players, sponsored by inspiresport, alongside the National Youth Cups competitions.  

Across the senior game, clubs are involved in the Arnold Clark Premiership, Regional Leagues and the Aspiring League. Women’s teams are currently competing in the Sarah Beaney Cup, National Shield, National Plate and National Bowl, with the competitions culminating at Silver Saturday at Scottish Gas Murrayfield in May. 

Professionalising the game and leadership 

The push toward professionalisation accelerated in 2016 when Jade Konkel became Scotland’s first full-time professional female player. 

Fast forward to the 2025/26 season, and Scottish Rugby further deepened its commitment to the women’s game by enhancing its annual contracting model. This evolution has seen an increase in the number of contracted players to 35, with up to 50 athletes benefitting from access to high-performance environments. 

In addition to players, in 2017 Hollie Davidson became the first contracted female referee. 

Just one year later, Dee Bradbury – mother of Scotland international, Magnus Bradbury – made history as the first female President of a Tier 1 union.  

In 2023, Scottish Rugby collaborated with the IRFU and WRU and launched the Celtic Challenge, a cross-border competition designed to bridge the gap between club and international rugby. There are now two teams playing out of Scotland – Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby. Players including Alex Stewart, Molly Poolman, Gemma Bell, Fi McIntosh, Lucia Scott, Rachel Philipps, Hannah Ramsay and Leia Brebner-Holden have come through the Celtic Challenge competition to make their debut for Scotland since its inception. 

Now there is a Central Programme operating in Scotland, where selected players are supported with Strength and Conditioning training, rugby and skills sessions, alongside nutrition, medical and wellbeing.  

There is also now a full pathway for age-grade rugby with Scotland Women U18 participating annually in the Six Nations Festival. Scotland Women U20 programme now enters a new era, evolving from the Six Nations Summer Series; the team now expands to an U21 side and will participate in their own Six Nations tournament which run adjacent to the senior competition. 

Legacy continuing 

Today’s Scotland players stand on the shoulders of the pioneers who first pulled on the jersey more than three decades ago. 

2026 will stand as a groundbreaking year for the women’s game in Scotland, as our senior national team take centre stage at Scottish Gas Murrayfield to face the Red Roses in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations. 

This is a historic move that reflects the incredible growth of the game, with a record-breaking crowd of over 19,000 tickets already sold. As the players run out onto the national pitch, they do so carrying the legacy of every pioneer who came before them, marking a new chapter in the proud history of Scottish women’s rugby.   

Their legacy lives on in every tackle, every try, and every young girl picking up a rugby ball for the first time this International Women’s Day.