Coreen Grant

Coreen Grant (born 30 January 1998) is a Scottish rugby player from Edinburgh. She first played for the side in the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship.[1]

Coreen Grant
Date of birth (1998-01-30) 30 January 1998
Place of birthEdinburgh, Scotland
Height1.61 m (5 ft 3+1⁄2 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb; 9 st 13 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Outside centre
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016-2017 Darlington Mowden Park Sharks 4 (0)
2017-2018 Melbourne Unicorns ()
2018-2019 Darlington Mowden Park Sharks 5 (5)
2019-2020 Saracens II 8 (20)
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2020-present Saracens 12 (0)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2020–present  Scotland 1 (0)

Club career

Aged 16, Grant joined Murrayfield Wanderers, winning the Brewin Dolphin U18 Cup in 2014 and 2015.[2] During her time there playing at under-18 levels she played alongside fellow Scottish national players Rhona Lloyd and Lisa Thomson.[3]

She studied at Durham University and played for the university team.[4] She captained Durham University to BUCS semi-finals in 2016-2017 season, and acted as Vice Captain in the 2018-2019 season, where the team reached the BUCS final at Twickenham - the first time the University had made it this far in the championship.[5][6]

During her studies at Durham, she first played in the premiers club-level rugby for Darlington Mowden Park Sharks (2016–2019), playing in the Tyrell Premiership.[7][8]

While studying at Durham she took a year abroad in Melbourne, where she played for clubs Melbourne Unicorns, winning the Victoria State Cup with Melbourne Unicorns.[9][8]

Grant then signed her first club contract for Saracens Women in the Premier 15's in the 2020-21 season.[10]

While studying at Cambridge University from 2019 to 2020, she also played for the University team, as well as playing for Saracens.[11] At Twickenham in the 2019 Varsity Match for Cambridge University, she came to prominence, scoring the winning try in the 77th minute to win the game.[12] The match was broadcast live for the first time on ITV.[13] Grant said of the occasion, "Winning a Blue was about seeing women's sport recognised on equal standing, played on the same day and pitch as the men."[14] The match and the team's victory was also reported by The Times, which named Grant as the star of the match.[15]

International career

Grant represented Scotland at U20 level in a match against Belgium Ladies in 2016.[16][8]

She received her first call-up to train with Scotland Women Premier XVs at the start of the 2019/2020 season, alongside fellow Saracens player Jodie Rettie.[17][18]

Her first match day call-up came in February 2020 in the rearranged match against England in the 2020 Women's Six Nations, where she remained on the bench.[19] During lockdown in 2020, she trained with the team at Edinburgh, her hometown.[20][21]

In the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship, she made her debut off the bench in Scotland's home fixture against Italy to receive her first cap.[22][23][8]

Personal life

Grant first played rugby at Royal High School, Edinburgh aged 11.[24][25] During her time there, she was coached by ex-Scotland player Graham Shiel.[26]

During a three year stint in the States, living in Pasadena in Los Angeles with her family, she briefly tried American football, before returning to the UK and becoming more serious about rugby.[27]

Grant completed a Masters at Corpus Christi, Cambridge University, in Philosophy (MPhil), Criticism and Culture in 2020 and studied English Literature at Durham University (2015–2019).[28][29]

Honours
  • Player of the Match in the Women's Varsity Match in December 2019[30]
  • Player of the Match award at Murrayfield in the U18 Scottish Cup Final in 2015[31]
  • Winner Brewin Dolphin U18 Cup in 2014 and 2015[32]
  • Winner Victoria State Cup in 2018 [8]

References
  1. March 2021, Gary Heatly Wednesday 31. "New kids on the block: Introducing Scotland's uncapped quartet". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  2. November 2019, Gary Heatly Tuesday 12. "Grant focused on a return trip to Twickenham". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  3. November 2019, Gary Heatly Tuesday 12. "Grant focused on a return trip to Twickenham". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  4. November 2019, Gary Heatly Tuesday 12. "Grant focused on a return trip to Twickenham". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  5. "What Does A Blue Mean To You? A New(comer's) Perspective". Varsity Online. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  6. November 2019, Gary Heatly Tuesday 12. "Grant focused on a return trip to Twickenham". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  7. "StackPath". www.mowdenpark.com. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  8. "Coreen Grant". Scottish Rugby. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  9. Max. "Coreen Grant". Women's Rugby Data : Number 1 for Women's Rugby. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  10. Mahmood, Abdullah (24 January 2020). "Grant and Rettie called up to Scotland squad". Saracens. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  11. Heatly, Gary (12 December 2019). "Scottish centre Coreen Grant scores dramatic Varsity Match winner". The Offside Line. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  12. "What Does A Blue Mean To You? A New(comer's) Perspective". Varsity Online. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  13. "What Does A Blue Mean To You? A New(comer's) Perspective". Varsity Online. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  14. "What Does A Blue Mean To You? A New(comer's) Perspective". Varsity Online. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  15. Correspondent, Alex Lowe, Deputy Rugby. "Fergus Jemphrey and Coreen Grant star in Light Blue double". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 3 June 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. "Scotland Women U20 squad bound for Belgium". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  17. "Cambridge University RUFC Varsity Match hero Coreen Grant earns Scotland call-up for Women's Six Nations". Cambridge Independent. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  18. Mahmood, Abdullah (24 January 2020). "Grant and Rettie called up to Scotland squad". Saracens. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  19. Coreen Grant on her Scotland debut, retrieved 3 June 2021
  20. March 2021, Gary Heatly Wednesday 31. "New kids on the block: Introducing Scotland's uncapped quartet". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  21. "Training in Lockdown: What have we learned?". Varsity Online. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  22. Coreen Grant on her Scotland debut, retrieved 3 June 2021
  23. "Scotland make four changes for Italy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  24. March 2021, Gary Heatly Wednesday 31. "New kids on the block: Introducing Scotland's uncapped quartet". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  25. Coreen Grant on her Scotland debut, retrieved 3 June 2021
  26. Coreen Grant on her Scotland debut, retrieved 3 June 2021
  27. November 2019, Gary Heatly Tuesday 12. "Grant focused on a return trip to Twickenham". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  28. "What Does A Blue Mean To You? A New(comer's) Perspective". Varsity Online. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  29. November 2019, Gary Heatly Tuesday 12. "Grant focused on a return trip to Twickenham". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  30. "RUGBY UNION: Double despair for Oxford University in Varsity Match". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  31. November 2019, Gary Heatly Tuesday 12. "Grant focused on a return trip to Twickenham". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  32. November 2019, Gary Heatly Tuesday 12. "Grant focused on a return trip to Twickenham". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
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