Francesca McGhie

Born on May 7, 2003, in Edinburgh, Francesca McGhie has rapidly ascended the ranks of women's rugby, since making her debut in 2023.

Passionate about sport – Francesca grew up playing hockey and tennis, with her main sport being dance. Her abilities as a ballet and contemporary dancer earned her a place at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Inspired by her brother Kyle, who represented Scotland at U20 level, Francesca because her rugby journey in 2018 with the East Lothian and Borders Girls at Preston Lodge.

In 2019, she joined Watsonians Rugby Club, contributing significantly to their victories in the Tennent’s Premiership in the 2022/23 season. Her performances saw her selected to represent The Thistles in the 2022/23 iteration of the Celtic Challenge, where standout performances and four fantastic tries saw her catch the eyes of the national team.

Francesca was called up to the Scotland Women’s team for the 2023 Six Nations, and she made her international debut for Scotland against England in the opening weekend at Kingston Park.

Since making her debut in the March, Francesca went on to make nine Test appearances, winning six of them and scoring three tires in the process.

She also earned a move to the PWR, signing with Leicester Tigers, before lifting the WXV2 title with Scotland and earning herself a nomination for the World Rugby Women’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year Award in 2023.

In 2024, Fran’s rapid rise through the ranks was recognised alongside fellow rugby trailblazers – Donna Kennedy and Lisa Thomson – when sustainable statues of the players were unveiled, representing the past, present and future of women’s rugby in Scotland. All three statues have been created by state-of-the-art 3D printing technology using 100% recycled plastics intercepted from industrial waste destined for marine environments or landfill.