SCOTLAND’S Megan Gaffney will link up with Heriot’s Blues Women when the rugby season resumes.
The North Berwick ace has made the move across the capital from Watsonians ahead of a year which could include Women’s Rugby World Cup qualifiers and the chance to be part of the Great Britain 7s training squad for the rearranged Tokyo Olympics.
Gaffney told the club’s website she was “excited to start” the new campaign, which will see the Edinburgh side out to build on their National League Division One title under the guidance of women’s director of rugby Rhona Hume and Blues Women head coach Ruth Slaven-Ross.
The winger said: “It is a really forward-thinking club. I know a lot of the players there and I have watched the team progress.”
Heriot’s Blues Women were established just over 18 months ago and Gaffney wants to contribute to the culture being built around the newest team at Goldenacre.
‘‘I think culture is really important because we all play rugby for enjoyment. Rugby is a sport for everyone so you have to be welcoming,’’ she said.
“It is about helping people realise what they are capable of.’’
Gaffney, who works for the charity School of Hard Knocks, first picked up a rugby ball when she was just seven.
Now, she wants to encourage more young girls to do the same and take up the sport.
She said: ‘I think with rugby there is a part to play for everyone.
“Whatever your size, your shape, your skill, your team needs you. You don’t have to excel at any one thing.”
The charity uses sport, including rugby and boxing, to tackle crime and unemployment, with the aim of changing the lives of adults and children.
Gaffney added: ‘‘That is why I love my job so much.
“A lot of the rugby I play is elite but it is great to play it in its purest form.
‘‘I think that anyone that tries rugby does fall in love with it.’’
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