Inverness-born Caity Mattinson says she is leaving behind a “special” Scotland group after she became the third player to retire following the Women’s Rugby World Cup exit.
Experienced players Jade Konkel (74 caps) and Lisa Cockburn (37 caps) had signalled before the England last eight match at the weekend that they would be retiring from international rugby upon Scotland’s elimination from the competition.
And, after the 40-8 defeat to the Red Roses in Bristol on Sunday, scrum-half Mattinson, who earned her 37th cap off the bench in the game, has also announced her retirement from Scotland duties and, like Cockburn, club rugby too. In total she earned three caps at this year’s World Cup.
The 29-year-old who most recently played club rugby down south for Trailfinders Women said: “Rugby has always provided me with a sense of belonging thanks to the people I’ve played alongside.
“Never more so than with Scotland whose shared love for our wee country, and each other, has given me the best friendships for life.
“It could never be overstated just how special that group is.
“Rugby has been my whole world for as long as I can remember. I’ll be forever grateful for the journey that I’ve had.
“I’ve been very lucky to be coached and supported by incredible people along the way.
“Now I’m incredibly excited to be starting a full-time coaching role [with the Banbury club down south in Oxfordshire as their schools rugby manager] and grateful for the opportunity to continue working in the game I love.”
Mattinson won seven caps for England between 2017 and 2018, however, in early 2022 the player – and Scottish Rugby – took advantage of World Rugby’s laws and Mattinson switched allegiances.
She went on to play in two World Cups, help the national side win WXV 2 in 2023 and also represented Team Scotland in sevens at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.
Speaking about the last few years and her Scottish links, Mattinson said: “As soon as it came through that World Rugby had changed the eligibility laws, I spoke straight away about wanting to play for Scotland.
“I was born up here and Scottish rugby had always been a big passion of mine I just fell into the English pathway because that’s where I was living at the time.
“I was born in Inverness, but we actually lived on the Isle of Skye and we were there for three years. I have a twin sister [Hannah] and we didn’t have family up there, so mum and dad thought that with twins we needed to be closer to my dad’s parents down in Northumberland and that’s why we moved.
“Getting involved with Scotland was one of the best things I have ever done.”
Mattinson’s rugby journey began at the Tynedale club and she went on to represent a number of other clubs and has been an important player for Scotland since she made her debut versus Colombia in Dubai in February 2022.
“Now I’m incredibly excited to be joining Banbury as a coach,” Mattinson added.
“The club’s passion to provide as many opportunities as possible to young players and to grow the game is something I’m very proud to be involved with.
“With the Women’s Rugby World Cup going on at the moment, there’s never been a better time to inspire players to pick up a rugby ball and it’s really important we make the most of that opportunity.
“I can’t wait to get started.”
- Andrew McMenemy from Scottish Rugby will be involved as FPRO for the England-France World Cup semi-final this weekend.
Caity Mattinson is pictured
From August 7 until September 30, GH Media will be following the Scotland World Cup journey all of the way. We will be at all of the Scotland matches down south and will be bringing you all of the interviews and news from camp as well as taking a wider look at the tournament as a whole and its impact on the women’s game. Thanks to Quirky Chocolate and other supporters for allowing this content to happen and to readers for engaging with it.