“I lost the love for rugby”: Louise McMillan on PWR Cup Captaincy and Scotland heartbreak

Louise McMillan has been selected to captain Saracens for their PWR Cup campaign after three years at the club. The 28-year-old lock joined the North London club ahead of the 2022-23 season and has since become a crucial part of their squad.

After the recent heartbreak of being left out of Scotland’s World Cup squad, McMillan has turned her focus to leading her team through the domestic competition.

“It’s a huge honour and something I never thought I’d be given the opportunity to do. The leaders we have are legends of the game, like Marlie Packer. You wouldn’t even compare yourself to being like her,” McMillan said.

“When the captaincy was offered to me, it was such an honour. The girls mean so much to me and to get to be a leader to them, it’s such a huge privilege.”

When asked how the shift from international rugby to club rugby has impacted her approach to the game and leadership, McMillan was candid:

“It wasn’t pressure from coaches; it was pressure I put on myself. I thought I had to be the best in every single game, every moment. And that meant when things didn’t go well, it was incredibly hard to recover from.”

“I feel lucky to have this chance now, to just enjoy playing rugby again. This is the perfect group to do it with. Not everything will go perfectly, but this is a great opportunity to try new things and fall in love with rugby again, which is something I’d lost towards the end.”

McMillan was initially left out of Scotland’s WXV squad last year, though she was later called up due to a teammate’s injury. However, she was subsequently left out of Scotland’s World Cup training squad, marking the end of her World Cup dream.

Reflecting on navigating an immensely difficult period in her life, McMillan said:

“The way my time with Scotland came to an end was really tough, but these girls were so crucial in me getting through one of the toughest points in my rugby career. I owe them so much, because I don’t know what I would’ve done without them.”

The former Scotland international grew up in Glasgow and began playing for Hillhead Jordanhill RFC. She started at youth level in school, before eventually progressing to becoming the captain of the senior team.

“That was my girlhood club and when I was appointed as captain, I was quite young, but I was surrounded by legends of Scottish rugby. Names like Jade Konkel, Jemma Forsyth and Lindsey Smith are always the leaders I wanted to be.”

“They all have different qualities, but I just loved that they just turned up and did exactly what they said they’d do.”

Saracens will face Sale Sharks on Saturday 13th September in the PWR Cup, a competition that many internationals miss due to the rugby calendar. For McMillan, it’s an opportunity she’s long looked forward to:

“It’s something I’ve always been jealous of, because the girls seem to have the best time. It’s the perfect blend older players, who have maybe left international rugby, and the ‘young guns’, that have so much exciting talent.”

“The PWR Cup is an opportunity to try new things out, such as new people and combinations. It looks like the players have a great time, and they get the opportunity to play around with this. To get to take part in it is really cool.”

“We want to win the cup. We know we have the quality here to win it, and it’s such a good group of people who push each other.”

When asked what message she would share with the next generation of girls hoping to become a professional rugby player, McMillan said:

“I suppose I’m not the most glamourous person to watch, I’m not scoring tries every game. You hear great stories about rugby starts who were spotted at a young age, with videos of them at age four scoring wonder tries. That just wasn’t me, I had no natural talent. So, if I wanted people to take one thing from my career, it’s how far hard work can get you. Sometimes that beats talent, if you just work hard.”