When Jade Konkel left the field after Scotland’s quarter-final at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, the moment was bittersweet. For the 74-cap forward, it marked the end of a remarkable 13-year international career. For Scotland, it was the departure of a player who had done more than just carry a ball into contact; she had helped carry an entire sport into a new era.
From the Black Isle to the World Stage
Born in Inverness in December 1993 and raised on the Black Isle, Jade Elizabeth Konkel (later Konkel-Roberts) was steeped in sport from a young age. She excelled in basketball with the Highland Bears, dabbled in athletics, and grew up in a rugby-mad family. But for a girl in the Highlands, pathways into elite rugby were limited.
That didn’t stop her. At 17, she was making seven-hour round trips to Edinburgh just to attend development sessions. The commitment was extraordinary, and it paid off. Within a year she had broken into the Scotland U20 programme, and by 2013 she was pulling on the senior jersey for the first time, making her debut against England in the Six Nations at just 19.
Her first try for Scotland followed two years later against Italy, and by then it was clear Konkel was no ordinary player. A natural number eight, she combined raw power with an almost stubborn willingness to do the dirty work. If Scotland needed her in the second row, she played there. If they needed cover in the front row, she stepped up. Versatility and selflessness became hallmarks of her game.
Breaking Barriers
In 2016, Konkel achieved something no Scottish woman had managed before: she became the first player to be handed a professional contract by Scottish Rugby. For her, it was recognition of years of sacrifice and consistency. For the women’s game in Scotland, it was a watershed moment — a sign that professionalism was no longer a distant dream.
She broadened her horizons in club rugby too. After representing Hillhead Jordanhill while studying social work at Glasgow Caledonian University, she joined Lille Metropole Rugby Club Villeneuvois in France, before moving to Harlequins in 2018. At Quins, she grew into a leader, eventually becoming club captain, and in 2024 she was named their Player of the Season.
Even that wasn’t enough. Away from rugby, Konkel trained as a firefighter with the London Fire Brigade. Balancing two careers — one professional and punishing on the field, the other demanding and dangerous off it — summed up her resilience.
The Long Climb
Konkel’s early years with Scotland were tough. Results were hard to come by, and Scotland endured long winless streaks in the Six Nations. But she remembers 2017 as a turning point.
“When I started with the squad in 2013 we obviously had a run of tough losses. In 2017 we played Ireland in the opening match of the Six Nations and we were drawn 15-all, and in the last play of the game Ireland scored but it was the closest we had ever come to beating them,” she recalled. “We beat Wales at home the next 18-17, and that was the first time I had ever won in a Six Nations in a Scotland shirt. It was just absolutely incredible, the emotion was through the roof for everybody. That game really meant a lot.”
Those moments helped fuel a squad that grew in belief. In 2021, Konkel was part of the side that qualified for the delayed Rugby World Cup in New Zealand — their first in over a decade — thanks to a hard-fought victory over Ireland in the qualifiers. For her, that game in Italy was among the greatest highs of her career.
Milestones & Memories
Over 13 years, Konkel amassed 74 caps and scored 10 tries. She celebrated her 50th appearance in 2022 against England and helped Scotland win the inaugural WXV2 title in 2023. But the numbers tell only part of the story.
Her presence was about more than metres gained or tackles made. Teammates and coaches alike point to her professionalism, her leadership, and her unwavering energy. As head coach Bryan Easson put it:
“She has been a trailblazer for the women’s game, setting new standards through her professionalism, leadership and dedication on and off the pitch. Her influence over the last decade has been invaluable to the squad, both in terms of performances and the support she has given her teammates.”
A Controversial Goodbye
The final act of Konkel’s Scotland story has not been without controversy. Earlier this year, Scottish Rugby informed her she would not be offered a new contract. The decision, she was told, was performance-related, something she struggled to reconcile with her recent form at Harlequins.
“I am still trying to find the answers for [not being offered a contract] myself,” she admitted. “My reasons were performance for club and country, which I thought was interesting given I got Player of the Year for Quins this year. I don’t know the ins and outs of it — a depth chart of players coming through, and individual circumstance.”
She added with disappointment:
“It is a business at the end of the day. It is the fact that it was a six-minute conversation, after 13 years of service.”
Yet even as she spoke of frustration, Konkel remained grateful:
“I’m very disappointed, but I am also grateful that I got to spend one last time on the pitch with the girls, because it has been an incredible 13 years.”
In a separate interview, she pointedly reminded the wider game of its responsibilities:
“Respect us. Know that this is a programme that we pour our life into.”
Looking Back — and Ahead
In her own retirement statement, Konkel reflected on the extraordinary journey rugby had given her:
“It’s really hard to find the words because I’ve been in this squad since I was 18, that’s literally my entire adult life, and it’s because I have had the most incredible 13 years. The incredible players I have played with, the management and people behind the scenes, the places I have gone – you know I’m from the Highlands, a very small place on the Black Isle and never in my wildest dreams did I think I would play for Scotland, let alone move to France, move to London, and have so many incredible memories just from playing a sport.”
Her next chapter will continue at Harlequins, where she captains the side in the Premiership Women’s Rugby competition, while also working with the London Fire Brigade. It is a life that reflects her values: resilience, service, and determination.
Legacy of a Trailblazer
From the girl in the Highlands making seven-hour round trips, to Scotland’s first professional women’s rugby player, to a captain and role model for the next generation, Jade Konkel has done more than most could have imagined when she debuted in 2013.
She has been a figure of progress — on the field, dragging Scotland into contests with her relentless carrying, and off it, breaking barriers and forcing institutions to keep up with the ambitions of their players.
Her career is also a cautionary tale. The manner of her departure — short conversations, unclear reasoning, players left in limbo ahead of a World Cup — has sparked debate about how Scotland supports its women at the highest level. In Konkel’s own words: “It’s been a tough couple of months with all of us getting bombshells dropped on us right before a World Cup, which is not the best prep.”
But for those who watched her play, the dominant image will not be of boardroom decisions. It will be of a fearless number eight charging into contact, of a leader dragging teammates forward, of a young girl from the Highlands who proved that nothing was impossible.
As she leaves the international stage, Jade Konkel’s legacy is secure. She was a trailblazer. She was a standard-bearer. And above all, she was — and will remain — one of the most important figures in the story of Scottish women’s rugby.
