Hawick rugby star Lisa Thomson says she’s honoured to have inspired statue

From left, Lisa Thomson, Donna Kennedy and Francesca McGhie in Edinburgh's Castle Street with their blue plastic statues intended to inspire more girls to take up rugby (Pic: Robert Perry/PinPep)

It might not be in the same league as William Beattie’s 1914 sculpture of a horse and rider in her home-town of Hawick but Scottish rugby international Lisa Thomson is now being commemorated by a statue too.

It’s made of blue plastic rather than bronze like Beattie’s commemoration of 1514’s post-Flodden skirmish at Hornshole, resulting in a Smurf-like complexion, but the 55-times-capped centre is chuffed to bits anyway to have inspired the artwork, on display in Edinburgh’s Castle Street prior to being relocated to the capital’s Hive Stadium tomorrow, March 22.

Thomson’s statue, made out of industrial waste using 3D printing technology, is one of three commissioned by national women’s team sponsor Scottish Gas to celebrate pioneers of the female version of the sport in the hope of encouraging girls to follow in their footsteps.

The others are of Biggar’s Donna Kennedy, capped 115 times between 1993 and 2010, and Musselburgh’s Francesca McGhie.

Lisa Thomson's blue plastic statue (Pic: Robert Perry/PinPep)

The statues of Thomson, 26; Kennedy, 52; and nine-times-capped McGhie, 20, are intended to represent respectively women’s rugby’s present, past and future.

Thomson, named in Scotland’s starting XV for their 2024 Women’s Six Nations opener in Wales on Saturday, said: “It’s pretty surreal to have a statue of yourself but it’s an honour to have been recognised alongside Donna and Fran.

“Unveiling these just before the start of the Six Nations is amazing and I can’t wait to see our fans’ reactions when they see them at Hive Stadium and hopefully we can inspire the next generation of trailblazers.”

Kennedy added: “It’s amazing to be recognised as a trailblazer and hear how inspirational female athletes can be.

“What we see around us and what we’re exposed to has a huge bearing on our development, and with women’s rugby in Scotland going from strength to strength, it’s a great time to encourage more young girls to watch and play the game.”