Leah Bartlett

Last updated

Leah Bartlett
Date of birth (1998-08-28) 28 August 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth Loughborough, England
Height164 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight88 kg (194 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Loosehead
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2016–2018 Loughborough Town ()
2018–2023 Loughborough Lightning ()
2023–2025 Leicester Tigers ()
2025– Sale Sharks ()
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2020– Scotland 38 (25)

Leah Bartlett (born 28 August 1998) is a Scottish rugby player from Lougborough who has played in the Premier 15s and Women's Six Nations, including the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship. [1] She has also played for the England Women's U20 team. [2]

Contents

Club career

Bartlett played for Loughborough Town before moving to Loughborough Lightning in 2018. [3] Bartlett is one of a contingent of Scottish internationals at the Premier 15s club including Jenny Maxwell, Helen Nelson, Emma Wassell and Rachel Malcolm. [4] She frequently starts at Prop for the team. [5] She was part of the Lightning team that finished third in the 2018/19 Tyrells Premier 15s. [6] She signed for Leicester Tigers for the 2023–24 Premiership Women's Rugby season before moving to Sale Sharks ahead of the 2025–26 Premiership Women's Rugby season. [7]

International career

Bartlett was selected for the England U20s team in 2016 when she was studying at Loughborough College. [8] In her first match for the squad, she scored in a 38–15 defeat against Army Women in Aldershot. [9] She played in loosehead position and has commented on the match, "The pressure in the scrums was so powerful, like nothing I had experienced before, but we had a strong front row and I just got on with it." [10]

She qualified to play for Scotland through both her parents being Scottish and was first called up to Scotland in January 2020. [11] She received her first cap that month against Spain, a match which the Scottish team won. [12]

In the 2020 Women's Six Nations Championship, which was disrupted by COVID-19, she was selected by coach Philip Doyle to play in the starting match against Ireland. [13] Doyle said of his decision to add Leah to the squad, “I’ve been unbelievably impressed with Leah since she came into the group. She’s got a young head on her shoulders, but she knows her rugby inside out, especially technically at set piece time.” [14] She was one of 12 Loughborough Lightning players called up to represent their country at that year's Women's Six Nations. [15] She also played in matches against Italy, England and France that year. [16] [17] [18]

In the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship, she played in the matches against England and Italy and came on as a replacement in the deciding match against Wales, which Scotland won. [19] She was one of eleven Loughborough Lightning players to play in the 2021 Six Nations. [20]

She was named in Scotland's squad for the 2025 Six Nations Championship in March. [21] [22] She also made the Scottish side for the Women's Rugby World Cup in England. [23] [24]

Personal life

Bartlett first started playing rugby when she was five at Loughborough Rugby Club. [25] She received a BTEC in Sports Science from Loughborough College. [26] While studying there, she was shortlisted for the Personal Achievement category in the college's Pride of Charnwood Awards. [27]

She went on to study Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University. [28] Her sister, Emma Bartlett (Veterinary Receptionist) work for the newly founded Phoenix Vets in Loughborough. Her mother and father are both Scottish, (born in Stornoway and Inverness respectively) which is why she qualifies for Scotland. She is one of seven siblings and her brother Ewan once played for the Scottish Exiles. [29]

References

  1. Max. "Leah Bartlett". Women's Rugby Data : Number 1 for Women's Rugby. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  2. "First England cap for Loughborough College rugby player Leah Bartlett". Loughborough College. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  3. "Leah Bartlett | Sport | Loughborough University". www.lboro.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  4. "Final exams, changing clubs & semi-finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  5. "One change for Lightning as Warriors come to town". Loughborough University. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  6. "RFU". www.premier15s.com. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  7. "Sharks Women sign Prop Leah Bartlett". Sale Sharks. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  8. "First England Cap for Loughborough College Rugby Player and Sport Apprentice Leah Bartlett : Skills and Education Group". www.skillsandeducationgroup.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  9. "First England Cap for Loughborough College Rugby Player and Sport Apprentice Leah Bartlett : Skills and Education Group". www.skillsandeducationgroup.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  10. "First England cap for Loughborough College rugby player Leah Bartlett". Loughborough College. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  11. Palmer, Mark. "Leah Bartlett ready to confront former England team-mates after border crossing". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  12. "Leah Bartlett – GH Media" . Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  13. "Leah Bartlett – GH Media" . Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  14. "Leah Bartlett – GH Media" . Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  15. "Strong Lightning presence in England and Scotland's Six Nations squads". Loughborough University. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  16. "Leah Bartlett". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  17. "Konkel and Rollie named in Scotland squad to face France". www.quins.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  18. "Lightning trio earn Scotland Start". Loughborough University. 24 October 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  19. "England and Scotland name teams for Saturday's opening round Six Nations match". www.rugbypass.com. April 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  20. "Lightning players selected for 2021 Six Nations squads". Loughborough University. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  21. Gould, Caitlin (19 February 2025). "Scotland squad announced for 2025 Guinness Women's Six Nations". Scottish Rugby. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  22. Thomas, Martyn (19 February 2025). "Nine uncapped players in Scotland's Women's Six Nations squad". www.rugbypass.com. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  23. "Scotland squad named for Women's Rugby World Cup 2025". Scottish Rugby Union. 7 August 2025. Archived from the original on 7 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  24. "Scotland names RWC 2025 squad". Rugby World Cup 2025 England. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  25. "Leah Bartlett – GH Media" . Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  26. "First England cap for Loughborough College rugby player Leah Bartlett". Loughborough College. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  27. "First England cap for Loughborough College rugby player Leah Bartlett". Loughborough College. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  28. "Leah Bartlett". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  29. "Leah Bartlett". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 29 May 2021.