Scotland international rugby star Siobhan Cattigan tragically dies, aged 26

Siobhan was an advocate for women in the sport.

Scotland international rugby player Siobhan Cattigan has passed away, aged 26. The athlete made her debut in 2018, playing against Wales during the Six Nations and went on to win 19 caps for Scotland between 2018 and 2021. Scottish Rugby said it was deeply saddened to hear of her passing.

"The thoughts of all our people and players go out to Siobhan’s family and many team-mates at Stirling County and Scotland at this incredibly difficult time.

https://twitter.com/Scotlandteam/status/1466027155213664261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1466027155213664261%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.sky.com%2Fstory%2Fsiobhan-cattigan-scottish-rugby-player-dies-aged-26-12483852 "Specialist Scottish Rugby employees are now providing ongoing support to those most closely affected." Siobhan was an advocate for women in the sport, regularly speaking out about sexism. She had previously revealed on Twitter that relentless bullying had forced her to give up rugby at school. "I gave up playing rugby in high-school after being bullied for being the only girl who played," she said. "I got called a man, muscly and many other derogatory things. As a young and impressionable 14-year-old this hugely impacted me and I gave up the sport that I had a clear talent in because of other people’s narrow minded opinions.

"It took a random decision at 19 to go back to rugby and give it a go at uni and, one uni team, one club team and 14 caps for my country later and I haven’t looked back since.

"I promised myself that day I would never let others opinions alter my life again."

A statement from Stirling County described Siobhan as a teammate and friend" who was "central to the development of women’s rugby within the club and an inspiration to the girls in the youth section".