Gary Heatly in Bristol
Prop Lisa Cockburn says “playing for Scotland has meant the world to me” after she announced her intention to retire from international and club rugby after the World Cup.
Cockburn, 32, built her reputation as a versatile front-rower, capable of playing on both sides of the scrum for Scotland and earning 37 caps for her country.
She grew up in England, but her Scottish heritage runs deep with both parents and three of her grandparents hailing from Scotland – and this connection has paved the way for her to represent Scotland on the international stage.
Her first cap came in 2018 away to Italy with her last cap versus Canada last week in Pool B of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Exeter.
She went off with a head injury in a 40-19 defeat there and is currently out for 12 days meaning she is missing Sunday’s quarter-final versus England in Bristol at Ashton Gate (4pm, live on BBC One).
The Gloucester-Hartpury player missed the last World Cup through injured, but battled back and has made the most of her career through hard work and desire.
Cockburn, who was raised on a dairy farm near Basingstoke, said: “Playing for Scotland has meant the world to me.
“I have cherished every moment. It has come with a lot of sacrifice and hard work, but it has all been so incredibly worth it.
“Rugby has been my whole life, it has given me lifelong friends and memories to last forever. Missing the last World Cup that I had helped us get to was heartbreaking, but if I hadn’t stuck at it, I wouldn’t be here now, and I have been so lucky to be here.
“Thank you so much to our fans, my family and friends who have supported me and the squad on this journey. There have been periods where we hadn’t won many games, and I’ve faced injuries, but the continued support has been so valuable.
“The people who have stuck be me, and helped get through, and here we are at the pinnacle of someone’s playing career, and to be able to retire on my own terms is something I am very grateful to do. I know not everyone gets to do that.
“In terms of highlights, the game we played against Ireland to progress onto the next stage of qualifying for the World Cup in 2021 is one because it was such a tight game and there was so much emotion going into it because we hadn’t been in a World Cup for so many years. The sheer relief I felt when Slaw [Sarah Law] slotted that winning conversion was amazing
“And then beating Columbia in that last qualifier in Dubai in 2022 was great. Again, that was just the epitome of everything we do in a Scotland shirt.
“Off the pitch, when we were in South Africa in 2019, Ellen [Dickson] our team manager got a piper in and we did a ceilidh to celebrate the many birthdays we had in camp. It was just one of those moments that was like ‘where else would I get this experience, with a pipe band, in South Africa with all my best mates, doing a ceilidh’ and it was just absolutely incredible.
Cockburn is set to get more into rugby coaching after retirement and is also getting ready to marry her partner Lisa soon.
- New Zealand and Canada won last eight ties on Saturday.
Scotland squad to play England: Chloe Rollie; Rhona Lloyd, Emma Orr, Lisa Thomson, Francesca McGhie; Helen Nelson, Leia Brebner-Holden; Leah Bartlett, Lana Skeldon, Christine Belisle, Emma Wassell, Sarah Bonar, Rachel Malcolm (C), Evie Gallagher, Jade Konkel. Subs: Elis Martin, Molly Wright, Molly Poolman, Eva Donaldson, Rachel McLachlan, Alex Stewart, Caity Mattinson, Evie Wills.
The England matchday 23 is here.
Lisa Cockburn is pictured – thanks to Scottish Rugby
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.