Megan Davey extends Lightning stay beyond seven seasons

Megan Davey will extend her time with Loughborough Lightning beyond seven seasons after signing a contract extension.

The scrum-half, who played her mini and junior rugby at Lichfield RUFC, boarded at Loughborough College upon leaving school and was picked up by Lightning in her second year of studies.

Aged only 17, Davey made her senior Lightning debut in the inaugural season of the Premier 15s, when she came off the bench against Richmond.

She has since gone on to amass 76 appearances for the Club, including 15 in all competitions so far in the 2023/24 campaign.

“I am seven seasons into my time with Loughborough and that just seems really crazy,” said the 23-year-old.

“I have got to give a lot of kudos to the girls, I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t met so many amazing people along the way, some have stayed on as long as me. Every time someone new comes in, they’re absolutely brilliant.

“I have fun at training, I have fun developing myself but also developing my friendships with everyone and I really enjoy playing our home games at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens. There has never been a reason to leave.”

Davey has played a key role in Lightning’s resurgence in Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby this season under the guidance of Head Coach, Nathan Smith. With four rounds remaining, they are well placed to finish just outside the top four, which is a significant improvement on last term’s eighth-place finish.

The foundations of that success look set to remain in place with Davey adding her name to list of players who have committed to contract extensions into the 2024/25 season and beyond – with the likes of Sadia Kabeya, Catherine O’Donnell, Lilli Ives Campion and Bo Westcombe-Evans all committing their futures to Lightning.

“Lightning had a few great seasons when we first started and then we dipped off, but I do think that we are top four and potentially Premiership-winning team,” Davey added.

“I would hate for them to do it without me after I’ve been here for so long! But you see the vibe in training, you see the players you are playing with, and you cannot help but think ‘we can do this’.

“Even if we finish the season where we are now, you would think what a season Lightning have had, and we have got so much more to showcase in these last four games. Kudos to the players but also the coaching staff who have brought us to where we are now.”

Head Coach Smith said: “I am extremely happy that Meg has agreed to stay at Loughborough Lightning. Like so many players within the performance squad, I think there’s massive amounts of growth still within her game.

“She has played a lot of rugby this year for us, and we are really excited to see what the future holds for Meg moving forward.”