Nicola_Howat
Nicola Howat
Rugby player
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]
Date of birth | (1997-03-25) 25 March 1997 (age 27) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Place of birth | Melrose, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 80 kg (180 lb; 12 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 2017, she was part of the Edinburgh University team that won the BUCS Championship (British Universities & College Sport) trophy at Twickenham.[5] The team won the league, championship cup and championship 7s all in the same year.[6]
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]
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]
She made the starting XV in her first cap for Scotland against France in the 2018 Women's Six Nations under the guidance of coach Shade Munro.[12]
She also played in the 2019 Women's Six Nations Championship.[13]
In the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship, Howat started on the bench in matches against England, Italy and Wales.[14]
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]
- "Helen Nelson wants Scotland to end Six Nations on a high but knows ultimate goal is World Cup qualification". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- June 2020, Gary Heatly Monday 15. "Howat not feeling sheepish as she prepares to test herself in the top-flight". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - June 2020, Gary Heatly Monday 15. "Howat not feeling sheepish as she prepares to test herself in the top-flight". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - "Howe hold their nerve to close out league title". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- "Interview: women's university rugby captain, Nicola Howat, looks ahead to Varsity and the new season - The Student". studentnewspaper.org. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- "RBS Scottish Varsity Preview: University of Edinburgh women look to hold on to silverware". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- "Interview: women's university rugby captain, Nicola Howat, looks ahead to Varsity and the new season - The Student". studentnewspaper.org. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
- June 2020, Gary Heatly Monday 15. "Howat not feeling sheepish as she prepares to test herself in the top-flight". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - June 2020, Gary Heatly Monday 15. "Howat not feeling sheepish as she prepares to test herself in the top-flight". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Barnes, David (2016-03-16). "Women Under-20s squad announced". The Offside Line. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
- "Sale Sharks Women sign Scottish International Duo". Sale Sharks. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
- "Scotland Women remain positive - Munro". BBC Sport. 2019-02-21. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- "Four changes to Scotland Women for Wales clash". Six Nations Rugby. 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- "Scotland Women's Six Nations Squad 2021 - Scotland 27-20 Wales". Rugby World. 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- June 2020, Gary Heatly Monday 15. "Howat not feeling sheepish as she prepares to test herself in the top-flight". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - "Interview: women's university rugby captain, Nicola Howat, looks ahead to Varsity and the new season - The Student". studentnewspaper.org. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- "Women's Rugby at Edinburgh". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
- June 2020, Gary Heatly Monday 15. "Howat not feeling sheepish as she prepares to test herself in the top-flight". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - June 2020, Gary Heatly Monday 15. "Howat not feeling sheepish as she prepares to test herself in the top-flight". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - "Nicola Howat". Sale Sharks. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- "Interview: women's university rugby captain, Nicola Howat, looks ahead to Varsity and the new season - The Student". studentnewspaper.org. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
- "RBS Scottish Varsity Preview: University of Edinburgh women look to hold on to silverware". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- "RBS Scottish Varsity Preview: University of Edinburgh women look to hold on to silverware". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-28.