Cath O'Donnell retires at 30 after injuries end 30-cap Red Roses career

Cath O’Donnell has retired from professional rugby, the England Red Roses and Loughborough Lightning lock confirming her decision at the age of 30 after a career spanning 30 international caps and a Rugby World Cup runners-up medal.

O’Donnell had not played since the conclusion of the 2023/24 Premiership Women’s Rugby season, when Loughborough met Saracens in her final club appearance. A persistent run of serious injuries — including multiple ankle reconstructions, broken shins, ACL injuries and a broken femur — ultimately shaped her decision to walk away.

“It feels like the right time to step away,” O’Donnell said. “I always said I would retire at 30, but as a rugby player, you just hope that time never comes around. Injuries have definitely played their part in my decision. I’ve undergone multiple surgeries and lengthy rehabilitation periods. As time goes on, the injuries become tougher, and you start to realise that there is a life to live after rugby too.”

O’Donnell first emerged nine years ago as a student at the University of Liverpool, also representing top-flight club Waterloo and earning England Under-20 caps during her time on Merseyside. She made her senior England debut against Canada in the 2017/18 season — her first with Loughborough Lightning — and went on to represent her country 29 more times.

Among the highlights of her international career was the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, where England reached the final. O’Donnell also featured in England’s inaugural WXV 1 title win in New Zealand, a tournament that proved to be her last in a Red Roses shirt.

“To represent my country 30 times in stadiums all over the world, sing the national anthem in front of family and friends at Twickenham, and wear the rose in a World Cup final are moments that can never be taken away from me,” she said.

Loughborough Lightning head coach Nathan Smith, who arrived at the club in 2023, paid tribute to O’Donnell’s impact in his debut season. “In my first year as Lightning head coach, she was phenomenal for us and was one of our stand-out players in the 2023/24 season,” Smith said. “Cath will be remembered as one of the most physical and abrasive ball carriers in the game.”

O’Donnell, a Cumbria native, said she would be returning north to be closer to family as she transitions away from professional sport — a move she described as central to her plans beyond rugby.