Loughborough Lightning have announce that Scotland skipper Rachel Malcolm will depart the club at the end of the 2024/25 season.
A ‘Lightning Original’, the 33-year-old was on the pitch for Loughborough’s very first game against Worcester Valkyries in September 2017 and is the longest-serving current squad member and possesses player number #006.
Malcolm has gone on to make 67 appearances in an African Violet shirt over eight seasons, scoring 14 tries. Her final Lightning outing will come against Trailfinders at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens this coming Friday evening as the PWR regular season comes to an end.
“It’s been an absolute wild ride. I’ve loved every second of being a Loughborough Lightning player,” said Malcolm.
“Being associated with Loughborough, it’s sporting royalty. It’s a place you want to be as an athlete and I think as a result, we attract some top-quality players. I’ve had the opportunity to play alongside some of the best and most-experienced players in the women’s game.
“But also at the same time, I’ve had the opportunity to support and influence some of the best up-and-coming players too. I think that’s what makes Loughborough Lightning such a special programme and one that I have absolutely loved being a part of.
“I truly walk away from this programme knowing that I’ve given it every single ounce of blood, sweat and tears that I have available, and I truly feel so excited about the future of the club, and the people within it, and what they have the ability to go and achieve.”
Malcolm has a 16-year association with Loughborough, having arrived at the university from Glasgow in 2009 and achieving a bachelor’s degree in sports and exercise science and a master’s degree in exercise physiology.
She played representative hockey for Scotland at three age-grade levels, and her Loughborough hockey number 11 shirt was retired after seven years of service.
Remarkably, Malcolm’s rugby journey did not start until she was 25 when she spent two seasons with Lichfield, before returning to Loughborough as Lightning entered the inaugural season of the PWR [then the Premier 15s] in 2017.
She captained the side in their first game and has held a leadership role throughout – including in her final season when she was a co-captain alongside Daisy Hibbert-Jones.
While her international debut for Scotland came a year before joining Lightning, the bulk of her 52 caps have come while at the Club and Malcolm has captained her country since the 2020 Six Nations, having first led them in the tour to South Africa a year previously.
In her final weeks at Lightning, Malcolm stepped up into a temporary player-coach role to support head coach Nathan Smith in preparing the team for this Friday’s final fixture of the 2024/25 season.
Smith said: “I would like to thank ‘Scotty’ for all of her services to Loughborough Lightning, but also to the University and the programme that we have here.
“As one of Lightning’s original players, she has been a huge part of all the Club’s successes over the last seven-and-a-half years, and she rightly commands the respect of everyone within our group of players. She’s also achieved an incredible amount on the international stage as a Lightning player.
“Her leadership qualities are well known across women’s rugby and it has been a privilege to work alongside her during my time with Lightning. We wish Rachel all the very best for the future.”
Thanks to Double Bobble Photography for the photo of Rachel Malcolm playing fort Lightning recently
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