St Andrews University’s rugby captain Annabel Sleigh says she is “beyond excited” that the women’s Scottish Varsity Match is returning on Friday after a seven-year break.
The men’s team from the East Neuk of Fife defeated their Edinburgh University rivals 21-12 last Friday to win that one and now, seven days later, it is the turn of the women’s teams from the same universities.
The match will take place on Friday at 7.30pm at the Saints Sport 3G pitch in St Andrews.
“I am beyond excited for the re-introduction of the Scottish Varsity Match,” Sleigh, the 21-year-old fourth year International Relations and Chinese student, said.
“It is something we have talked about for my last three years at university and I am so glad to finish my time here having been a part of this game which will hopefully continue as a tradition.
“The match is also very special to me personally as it presents an opportunity for my family to watch me and my younger sister Charlotte play against each other, something that is sure to make it all the more competitive.
“The Saints always play to win, but, more importantly, we are keen to play a competitive match that showcases the talent and hard work of both sides. I will know we have succeeded if I am returning to watch this match for years to come as a proud alumna.”
Sleigh and her family moved to Hong Kong when she was five and her dad immediately signed her up for mini rugby over there.
“There was a thriving mini rugby scene in Hong Kong for both boys and girls and I enjoyed playing the sport as I grew up,” she explained.
“As a result, I was always committed to continuing rugby wherever I went post-school and St Andrews has been the perfect place to do so.
“The nature of the university club has allowed me to develop not only my rugby skills but, more importantly, my leadership potential. The size of club allows for an incredibly close-knit culture between not only the three teams on the women’s side, but also with the men’s side of the club.
“I have played for many teams in the past 16 years, but I have never felt as though I belong to any of them as much as I do with the Saints.
“Our pre-season period building up to this game was intense but very enjoyable. We placed a huge emphasis on not just executing things on the field, but in creating a unified team culture off it.
“As well as lots of your classic fitness, strength work and contact we also integrated many team challenges, bonding and socials into the mix to keep things interesting.
“The introduction of a few new coaches to our coaching team has also made a massive difference to our productivity. My favourite day during pre-season was our trip to Lunan Bay where we took notes from the Fijian Sevens team and did some dune sprint training.
“It was tough but fun and now we are ready to give of our best in the Scottish Varsity Match.”
Annabel Sleigh is pictured
It is shaping up to be an exciting 2026/27 season for women’s rugby in Scotland and GH Media will be covering it in detail – if any companies are keen to support this content please send an email to gary@gh-media.co.uk