Loughborough Lightning to lose 11 players as Scotland contract changes drive exodus

Loughborough Lightning will lose 11 players at the end of the 2025/26 Premiership Women’s Rugby season, the club confirmed, with changes to Scotland’s centralised contracts forcing seven Scottish internationals to return to Celtic Challenge rugby.

Head coach Nathan Smith acknowledged the scale of the departures but pointed to structural shifts in the Scottish Rugby system as the root cause. “The changes to the centrally-contracted Scotland internationals making it harder for those players to continue to play their rugby away from the Celtic Challenge,” Smith said. “I fully understand and respect the decision they have had to make.”

The announcement follows last week’s confirmation that Scotland fly-half Helen Nelson is also leaving the club, bringing the total number of departing Scottish players at cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Gardens to seven.

Among the most significant losses is wing Zoe Westcombe-Evans, whose exit will concern Lightning supporters. The 23-year-old has scored 10 tries in 15 matches since returning from an ACL injury earlier this season and earned a recall to the senior England squad for the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

All 11 departing players will be honoured at the club’s annual leavers’ ceremony following their final home fixture of the season against Saracens this Saturday.

Despite the scale of the rebuild ahead, Smith expressed confidence in the club’s direction. “I am pleased with the number of players we have already locked in for next season, including our three World Cup winning Red Roses stars, and I look forward to announcing more re-signings and new signings too as we build towards the 2026/27 campaign,” he said.

Smith also outlined a shift in contract strategy, with the club moving away from the one-year deals that have defined much of the squad’s structure. “This will help us to lay down firmer foundations from which we can build success in the coming years,” he said, adding that the club’s university programme — which he described as “the country’s best women’s university team” — would provide a pipeline of emerging talent to compete for first-team minutes.