Lucy Weaver Interview: Embracing new opportunities with England Students and Leicester Tigers
Lucy Weaver played an integral role in Loughborough reaching the last two BUCS finals
©Sky Clemens
As Lucy Weaver steps into the next chapter of her rugby career, she does so with a blend of determination and perspective.
A recent graduate of Loughborough University, the 21-year-old has had to come to terms with some disappointment over the past couple of years.
Back-to-back Women’s BUCS Super Rugby finals (formerly the Women’s National League) ended in heartache for both Weaver and Loughborough, with the African Violet just falling short against Hartpury and Cardiff Met, respectively.
On top of that, missing out on England Under-20s selection in successive seasons may have been another blow for the talented scrum-half, particularly after featuring for the age-grade side in 2022/23.
However, her recent call-up to the reformed England Students Women’s programme appears to have reignited a spark in Weaver and offered the kind of opportunity she has been looking for.
“I think especially obviously leaving Uni, so I’ve graduated now, I was quite fortunate to get picked up for England Students,” Weaver says.
“I missed out on Under-20s last year, and feeling like I wasn’t really in the system anymore for that sort of thing so when England Students came about, I thought maybe I would hopefully get an opportunity, and I’m really, really grateful that England Students is a thing, and I’m really enjoying this week. I am very thankful for this opportunity.”
Being part of the first England Students Women’s side in 20 years isn’t lost on Weaver, and while she may not be at a crossroads in her rugby journey - having signed for Leicester Tigers this summer - the programme has served as a timely reminder that she can still represent her country.
“I think going from Under-20s to what is kind of like Under-23s [England Students] is important,” Weaver adds.
“Obviously, getting picked for the England Students is a really good opportunity for myself and others. That grey area, especially leaving university, you kind of think ‘Where am I?’ and you’re in that headspace but having this area and having England Students, it really helps you develop as a player even more past Under-20s because it does give you an opportunity to hopefully be picked up again.
“Sometimes you feel like you won’t get picked again [for your country], but Students have really helped me develop as a player and think, ‘I can get there hopefully, eventually.’”
Beyond rugby and Weaver's broader ambitions to see where her journey takes her, the reintroduction of the England Students Women's programme has offered that sense of togetherness that an international camp can bring.
During her three years at Loughborough, Weaver would have gone head-to-head with many of the Hartpury and Exeter University players currently alongside her in the England Students squad, but now they share a common goal of being part of a new chapter in women’s university rugby.
“Because we have sevens tournaments over summer, we get to know each other a lot more through that,” Weaver adds, having taken part in Bournemouth 7s earlier this season.
“I have played Under-20s with some of the girls [such as Hartpury’s Amy Dale and Lola Whitley] - and there will be rivalries on the pitch [in BUCS] but off the pitch, we literally are all friends.”
Weaver is set to start in Friday evening’s fixture against the UK Armed Forces and will be looking to carry her eye-catching Loughborough form into international duty.
Over the past two seasons, the lively scrum-half made 25 appearances for the African Violet in BUCS which underlines just how pivotal she was in helping Loughborough reach two finals.
The development of the university programme - strengthened by closer ties with Premiership Women’s Rugby side Loughborough Lightning - has certainly supported Weaver’s growth.
While studying Sports and Exercise Science, she also had the opportunity to hone her craft in a high-performance environment.
“Yeah, massively,” Weaver says when asked whether the system at Loughborough aided her development.
"Obviously, being within Lightning as well [Weaver made 17 appearances for the PWR side], I feel like that helped me develop as a player alongside the other nines and my sister [Jess] was there too [also a scrum-half].
"You do learn a lot from different players, and you do sometimes take that for granted. Looking back now, I’ve learnt so much from the massive international players, like Scaz [Emily Scarratt] for example. I’ve learnt so much from her as a player on and off the pitch.
"These things have helped me push a lot as a player, and a lot of BUCS players are within that Lightning squad now so when we all train together and play together, it was just a really good opportunity."
And that word ‘opportunity’ may well have been what prompted Weaver’s decision to join Leicester Tigers this summer.
While she was regularly one of the first names on the teamsheet for Loughborough in Women’s BUCS Super Rugby, she saw just 34 minutes of action in the PWR last term.
But rather than letting that disappointment hang over her, she has taken it in her stride.
"Lightning helped me a lot, especially Nathan [Smith] coming in as a new coach over the last two years,” she adds. “He has massively developed me as a player.
"I think personally last year, I didn’t get the opportunity to play as much PWR as I would have liked, and having to deal with things like that, then obviously training week in, week out and having to turn up and put that brave face on when you’re not getting picked, you are always learning from those experiences and the players around you.
"Obviously, I’m graduating and moving on, but I will take everything I’ve learned from Loughborough into my next opportunity and hopefully put that into play at Tigers.”
Weaver is already embracing her fresh start, and despite moving from Loughborough - a local rival - she’s been made to feel at home at Leicester.
"We started pre-season quite early, obviously being quite a new squad because a lot of players [the likes of Red Roses Meg Jones and Amy Cokayne] have left already,” Weaver explains.
"We started in like June, and it’s been flying. Our training sessions are amazing. The coaching staff are amazing. I’ve felt very welcomed moving from Lightning, which is classified as rivals to Tigers, but they’ve been so welcoming. I’m loving it and looking forward to the cup, seeing what the girls can bring."
Under new Director of Women’s Rugby Fraser Goatcher, the Tigers kick off their season in the PWR Cup against Bristol Bears on August 24th, before starting their Premiership Women’s Rugby campaign away to Sale Sharks on October 25th.
For Weaver, while her immediate focus will be on putting her best foot forward for England Students on Friday evening, her ambitions for this next chapter in her rugby career are clear.
"Hopefully, potentially this year, I’m going to play and try to play as much PWR as I can,” Weaver says. "Going into Tigers, we obviously have lots of competition, Jenny Maxwell, for example, who is developing and pushing me as a player already.
"I want to get the opportunity, take it with both hands, and just hopefully play as much as I can."
