She may be just 20, but Megan Hyland has packed a lot into her promising rugby career already to date and she is determined to add another highlight to the reel by helping Glasgow Warriors into the Celtic Challenge play-off semi-finals.
With just one round of the 10 regular season fixtures to go in the six-team event, Brython Thunder from Wales are in the fourth and final play-off spot on 19 points with Glasgow in fifth on 16 points.
The Warriors must beat bottom side Edinburgh at Scotstoun on Friday (7.30pm, live on BBC Scotland) and then hope that Brython lose to third placed Gwalia Lightning on Sunday if they are to make it into the semi-finals. Irish sides Wolfhounds and Clovers and Welsh side Gwalia are already safely into the play-offs.
Hyland, who began life as a back-row and can still play there but is playing regularly at this level at hooker just now, has been part of the Warriors’ set up for the past three seasons and she has enjoyed being a part of the growth of the women’s side of the club.
“I think this season has been our most successful one so far, familiar faces have come back in and we have just built on what we have done before,” the Scotland under-20 cap said.
“There are a lot of young players in the group too so, looking forward, the next few seasons will be really exciting, but for now all we are thinking about is the Edinburgh game.
“This year we’ve really learned how to get into a game and stay in it whilst being competitive.
“In some games we have been guilty of letting teams get away from us in the first half and then we have pulled things back in the second half, but it has just been too late.
“But we’ve come away with bonus points in a lot of our gamers even when we have lost and that shows that we have attacking threats and that we play for 80 minutes.
“We know that we have to beat Edinburgh and that is all we are thinking about just now.
“Thinking back to last year, this was game we looked to – and really wanted to – win at home and we did [36-17 in February 2025]. Playing at home is quite a big thing for us, the atmosphere has really started to grow at the games and we can’t thank people enough for that.
“Vibes have been really good at training and we know this is a big opportunity for us. We just need to win the game and then put the pressure onto Brython.
“We need to step up our performance level from the last couple of weeks and take the game to our opponents. Edinburgh aren’t going to back off, they’re going to be gunning for us and we have to be ready for that and stick to the way that we want to play.”
Hyland’s rugby journey began when she was young when a taster session at her primary school left her hooked.
Originally from Stonehaven, she played from primary two to primary seven at the Mackie club and then she had spells with Montrose and Dundee and, in her senior career to date, she has played for Garioch and now Heriot’s.
During her first two years with Glasgow she was often found clocking up the miles driving to training and matches from the north-east of the country, but now she lives in Edinburgh and has become more used to heading back and fourth along the M8.
If Hyland, who is a ‘player on development support’ with Scottish Rugby, this term has the ‘drive’ to play the game, she also has a desire to coach it and she is currently working with capital-based community club Portobello to coach young male players and to help grow their girls’ section.
And, if she is teaching when she is coaching, then she is learning all of the time as a hooker when she plays.
“I have enjoyed the challenge of learning a new position over the last couple of years,” uncapped Hyland, who was part of new head coach Sione Fukofuka’s first Scotland wider squad camp a few weeks ago, explained.
“I don’t think I’m there yet, but my end goal is to really nail the basics of hooker play and also act as an extra back-rower on the pitch. It’s just about balancing those key skills, like throwing and scrumming in the front-row along with having the freedom of a back-rower at time and getting over the ball or making yards when carrying.
“I’ll keep working at it and doing my best for whatever team I am representing.”
Megan Hyland is pictured – thanks to Glasgow Warriors