Lana Skeldon

Lana Ann Skeldon, was born on October 18 1993, in Melrose, Scotland. She is Scotland Women's most capped hooker of all-time.

When Lana was just four-years-old, she was taken down to Mansfield Park in her beloved hometown of Hawick because her mum, Annie Skeldon, was playing for the Hawick Ladies team.

Lana went along to Jed-Forest Minis and played at Wilton Primary School and although she played other sports such as football and hockey, she quickly developed a love for rugby.

Playing in the Borders, Lana began to progress through the ranks both at club level and at age-grade. She was part of the Scottish Schools Cup-winning team on three occasions at U15 and U18 with Gala Girls and won the plate with Melrose Ladies in 2013, whilst also going on to represented Scotland Women U15, U16, U18 and U20 levels.

After leaving school, Lana started an apprenticeship with Scottish Rugby to help develop local talent.

In 2011, Lana made her senior international debut for Scotland against the Netherlands in 2011. Cap number two did not come until 2014, but over the last nine years she has been a real figurehead for the Scots, and has broken into the records as the most-capped hooker in Scotland women’s history, alongside being within the top 10 most-capped players of all time for the team.

She won her 50th cap in 2022 against Wales in the Six Nations, becoming the 21st player to do so for the team.

Skeldon scored her first international try against Italy in a sodden Padova in 2018 and she has since gone on to break records, being the top-try scoring hooker of all time for any Scotland side.

Lana has since gone on to feature in 10 Six Nations championships, has played across bother iterations of the WXV2 competition and played for Scotland in the 2021 Rugby World Cup.

During this time she has played for club sides Watsonians FC in the Scottish Premiership, and DMP Sharks and Worcester Warriors in the PWR. In 2024, Lana signed with Bristol Bears alongside fellow Scot, Evie Gallagher.

Although Lana is a hooker, she has been known to kick for club and country over the years.

Rugby is not the only Borders tradition in which Skeldon has been enveloped, with the forward also having played her part in the region’s rich textile industry. Before being awarded a professional contract from Scottish Rugby in 2021, she worked in a cashmere factory in Hawick. The new contract allowed her to focus both on rugby and her studies in sport fitness and coaching with the Open University.

Away from rugby Lana has a passion for cooking, baking and photography.