Scotland forward Lyndsay O’Donnell has announced her retirement from rugby after picking up 20 appearances for the national team over the last decade.

The lock will also quit club rugby and believes it’s the perfect time for her to hang up the boots having achieved her dream of playing at a World Cup and in the Six Nations for Scotland. O’Donnell previously helped Worcester Warriors lift the women’s Premiership and was then named captain of the club before joining Bristol Bears.

She made her Scotland debut in 2013 and was part of the World Cup squad in 2021, making her first appearance at that level against eventual tournament winners New Zealand with her final cap for her country coming in last season’s TikTok Six Nations against France. The NHS physiotherapist has now decided it’s time to finish playing but she admits he will look back on her career and achievements fondly as she takes her next step.

She said: “The timing just feels right. Getting to the Rugby World Cup was my dream for so long and I am so glad I got the opportunity to experience the tournament. I am ready for the next chapter in my life. I have some plans in the pipeline and looking forward to sharing them in the near future.

“My personal highlight has to be playing at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2022. Ever since I started playing for Scotland, that was always my goal. 

“We got close to qualifying for the last two Rugby World Cups but missed out in the last stages, so to be involved in the qualifiers and finally get to play at a World Cup was unbelievable. Although we didn’t get the results we wanted in New Zealand, I made some amazing memories on and off the pitch. Playing against the Black Ferns and facing the Haka was definitely a standout moment. 

“Another standout moment was winning our first Six Nations game in six years against Wales at Broadwood Stadium in February 2017. That was an unbelievable feeling and so full of emotion.

“No list of memorable moments would be complete without getting your first cap. A call up the week before to receive it on 15 March 2013, France away in Dijon with a massive French crowd, it was an experience I will never forget.”