Rhona Lloyd believes the first-ever British & Irish Lions Women’s squad for their tour to New Zealand will fly the flag for all four nations and not just be an English-dominated affair.
The Red Roses, ranked number one in the world, are the current world champions after their global success on home soil last year and are on an unprecedented 38-game winning streak – with their last loss coming back in the 2022 World Cup final.
With John Mitchell’s side being so dominant in recent years, it is widely expected that the majority of those selected to tour New Zealand on Lions duty next year will come from England’s camp.
However, Scotland and Sale Sharks winger Lloyd is confident that a large pool of Scottish, Irish and Welsh talent will show what they can do this season and force their way in Head Coach Jo Yapp’s selection plans.
She said: “England as a collective is extremely strong, but there are definitely individual players from other nations who can challenge that, as we see in the PWR and at times during the Six Nations.
“I think all teams will be represented, and I really hope that’s the case for the good of the game. It has to be about picking the best players and performance first. For players and fans from every nation to be able to see somebody from their country represented is going to be huge for the growth of the game.”
The month-long Tour begins on 4 September 2027 as the British & Irish Lions take on the Black Ferns XV in Whangārei.
Having represented Scotland 62 times, Lloyd expressed how much it would mean to her to join the long and proud lineage of Scots to have pulled on the fabled red jersey, but the 29-year-old is keeping her feet on the ground when it comes to selection talk.
“From a personal perspective, it’s a funny one,” explained the Edinburgh native. “I’ve kind of gone through the Olympics situation, gearing up for the tournament and then not getting there, so I’m definitely trying this time around to take the approach of focusing on each week with Sale Sharks and each week that I’m with Scotland.
“Obviously, it would be the biggest honour and the biggest privilege, but it’s a long season and we play a pretty brutal sport. I’m definitely trying to focus on the here and now, but it’s obviously very exciting.”
Through Royal London's partnership with The British & Irish Lions, they are investing £3 million to drive positive, long-term change for women’s rugby, including their annual Championing Women and Girls’ Grassroots Rugby Award.
The initiative recognises one club from each Union per year, which receive a £10,000 grant to invest in their women and girls' programmes, with Caithness Rugby Football Club rewarded for Scotland.
“I’m buzzing for them,” said Lloyd. “I think what stood out with Caithness was how much they’ve already achieved in the six years they’ve had a women’s team.
“Something about their application that I really liked was that they wanted to invest in upskilling female referees, coaches and players who can continue to grow the game.
“It’s one of the most remote areas in Scotland – and, for that matter, across Great Britain – so I think the impact this can have for future generations and getting rugby into these corners of the country that don’t otherwise get a lot of support and funding, is going to be huge.”
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