Nicola Howat (born 25 March 1997) is a Scottish rugby player from Edinburgh who has played in multiple Women's Six Nations Championships, including the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship.[1]
Howat's first club was Howe of Fife’s senior team. She played for them while still at school and continued to play for them after she started at Edinburgh University.[2] Howat was selected as Howe of Fife 2015/16 Player of the Season.[3] In their 2016/17 season, Howat was part of the team won the BT National Division 2 Championship, gaining them promotion to BT National Division 1.[4]
In 2018, she captained the Edinburgh University Ladies Rugby Football Club’s 1st XV.[7]
Since 2020, Nicola has played for Manchester based Sale Sharks, where she plays alongside fellow Scottish international players scrum-half Mhairi Grieveand and back-row Lucy Winter.[8]
In her club career, she started as a back row, but moved into second-row as her main position as she increased her practice.[9]
International career
Howat began her international career by playing for the Scotland U20s against Belgium in 2016.[10] Howat represented Scotland in the U19s, U20s and at Sevens, before joining the Scottish Rugby Union Academy programme in 2017.[11]
Howat started playing rugby in her third year at Bell Baxter High School, which fellow Scottish rugby players Pete Horne and George Horne also attended.[15] She joined local club Howe of Fife Ladies while in her final years of school, in the club's first year.[16]
The Edinburgh University student studied for a Veterinary Medicine degree, completing her studies in 2019.[17]
She started her career as a small animals vet in October 2020.[18] During the pandemic she based herself between Cupar and St Andrews in Fife, training for the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship and aiding her father with lambing season.[19] In 2021, she relocated to Manchester to play for Sale Sharks.[20]
Honours
Winner of the 2016/17 British Universities & College Sport (BUCS) Championship with Edinburgh University[21]
Winner of the 2016/17 BUCS Championship Women's Sevens with Edinburgh University[22]
Winner of the 2016/17 BUCS Premier North League with Edinburgh University[23]
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