Loughborough Lightning are delighted to confirm the signing of USA international Tahlia Brody from Leicester Tigers.
The powerful back row recently moved to 19 caps for her country during the Pacific Four Nations series, having made her debut against Spain in March 2023.
Brody’s rugby journey started as an 18-year-old while at SUNY Geneseo in her home state of New York, before commencing a journeyed career at multiple clubs Stateside and in Spain before joining Cheltenham Tigers in January 2023.
The New Yorker scored the winning try against Leicester Tigers in the Championship play-off title decider in April 2023, before making the switch between the two teams that summer ahead of Tigers’ first campaign in Premiership Women’s Rugby.
The 30-year-old has been a key performer for Tigers, scoring 12 tries 21 games, including three in four PWR games against Lightning across that period.
“Even before joining PWR I’ve followed Loughborough Lightning and have admired their playing style,” said Brody. “I really enjoy the fast-paced game they play and admire a lot of the players on the team.
“I really enjoyed my time at Leicester and gained a lot from my time there. I think that growth requires change and facing new challenges.”
Brody’s signing follows yesterday’s announcement that Bulou Mataitoga has re-signed for Lightning – with more announcements involving American players to follow later this week.
“It’s always nice to enter an environment where I already know people,” Brody added. “They are all such amazing people and rugby players. I’m excited to bring the connection I am building with them at USA back to Loughborough.
“From afar Loughborough Lightning seem to play the game with joy. There are a lot of connections and trust on and off the field and they are hungry to be the best.”
Tahlia Brody
“My personal goal for the season is to quickly adapt to the team’s environment and structure while focusing on elevating my individual strengths and identifying how my strengths can best support my teammates. From a club level, I want to make it to the play-offs.”
Having tasted victory on a couple of occasions as a visiting player to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, Brody is looking forward to calling the venue home for the 2025/26 season and beyond.
“It is a beautiful stadium,” she said. “The facilities are incredible and it’s been awesome to see the support that has come out. Super excited to be calling it my home field!”
Lightning head coach Nathan Smith said: “Tahlia has played well against Lightning in the past and caught the eye. With us losing Hallie [Taufoou] at the end of the season, it is an exceptional replacement for her.
“Even though she’s got a lot of experience under her belt already, there is still a lot of growth within her game. We sat down and we highlighted areas of improvement. We have also highlighted what she is doing well and what we need to double down on next year for her to keep growing.
“Tahlia seems from the conversations we’ve had, she is someone that is prepared to work really hard to improve and also be a positive influence on the growth of our environment as well.”
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