Lisa Cockburn calls time on rugby career

Cockburn 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.

Raised on a dairy farm near Basingstoke, her early sporting life revolved around taekwon-do and horse-riding before a school friend encouraged her to try rugby at age 14. From her very first session at Basingstoke RFC, she was hooked. With the support of an enthusiastic coach, Cockburn quickly discovered her passion for the game.

In her late teens she sought out competitive rugby opportunities, representing Ellingham and Ringwood, Havant, and Solent Sirens. Her development accelerated while studying Sports and Exercise Therapy at Leeds Metropolitan University (now Leeds Beckett), where she combined her studies with rugby for the university side and a move to Premiership side DMP Sharks. There, she shifted into the pack, playing both second-row and number 8.

She went on to spend eight seasons with DMP Sharks, forging lifelong friendships, before moving to Worcester Warriors in late 2021, then Leicester Tigers, and finally Gloucester-Hartpury at the start of the 2024/25 season.

Her strong Scottish roots – with both parents and three grandparents born north of the border – paved the way for her to wear the thistle. Cockburn made her Scotland debut in November 2018 against Italy in Calvisano.

She was part of the squad that clinched Rugby World Cup qualification in early 2022, helping Scotland overcome Colombia in Dubai to reach the tournament for the first time since 2010. But her momentum was cruelly halted by a ruptured ACL suffered in the 2022 Six Nations, which sidelined her for 18 months and ruled her out of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

True to character, she fought back. Cockburn returned in 2023 and played her part in Scotland’s WXV2 title-winning campaign in South Africa, before earning further caps in the 2024 Six Nations.

In 2025 Cockburn was named in the Rugby World Cup training squad, impressing in the warm-up match against Italy to secure her place in the final squad. She went on to feature in all three of Scotland’s pool games against Wales, Fiji and Canada, starting against Canada – her first start since 2019 – before a head injury in the first half saw her removed from play.

Speaking on her time playing for Scotland, Cockburn 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 life-long friends and memories to last forever. Missing the last World Cup (through injury) 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.”

Discussing highlights of her international career, she added: “I have a couple! The game we played against Ireland to progress onto the next stage of qualifying for the Rugby World Cup. I think 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 conversion, the happiness of knowing we would progress on. It was amazing!

“And then beating Columbia in that last qualifier in Dubai. Again, that was just the epitome of everything we do in a Scotland shirt.

“Off the pitch, when we were in South Africa, Ellen 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’, it was just absolutely incredible.

“And of course winning WXV2, our first trophy in a really long time. Watching the game, USA v Italy, and sitting in the crowd and biting our nails for the game to go our way. That was pretty special.”

Paying tribute to her time representing the Thistle, Scotland Women Head Coach, Bryan Easson, said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Lisa for her contribution and commitment over the years whilst playing for Scotland. Lisa has worked tirelessly over the last year in particular and has played a key role in our journey at the Rugby World Cup.

“She is a phenomenal person and has been an outstanding player for both club and country. On behalf of the squad and management, we wish her all the best in her future endeavours and all that life has in store beyond the pitch.”

Cockburn now steps away from the game having left her mark across club and international rugby, and has exciting plans to continue her career in coaching, not before she marries her partner, also called Lisa, next month.