Leicester Tigers
LUCY NYE PROUD TO PAY REMEMBRANCE RESPECTS THROUGH RUGBY
Merging her twin passions of rugby and military service continues to be a balancing act for Leicester Tigers’ Lucy Nye but it is one she is thriving on.
Since joining the Royal Air Force five years ago, Remembrance Day has gained a deeper meaning for Nye and she was awarded her third UK Armed Forces cap in a Remembrance fixture against the Premiership Women’s Rugby’s Bristol Bears.
Bears won 38-10 at Kingsholm but it was a particularly proud moment for Exeter-born Nye, who vice captained her UK Armed Forces side.
“It’s always a massive occasion, it’s an honour to represent your service and being able to go one step further and represent UK Armed Forces,” she said.
“As a team, we said to ourselves that we are the best rugby players in the UK Armed Forces.
“For a lot of the players at Kingsholm, that’s the biggest fixture they’ll play in with a big crowd, a band and paying our respects too.
“Everyone has an awareness of Remembrance but in the military you understand the gravity of it.
“It’s really nice to be able to pay your respects in something that means a lot to you.”
Nye took an unlikely route on her journey into the Royal Air Force and has Red Rose stalwart, new Tigers recruit and good friend Amy Cokayne to thank in part for her entry.
The pair met at Hartpury College before following a similar path to Loughborough University, playing together at Lichfield where Cokayne’s father and RAF squadron leader, Ian, coached.
“I remember Ian just kept saying to me and Amy, ‘join as a reservist and come and play with the interservice for us’," the Flight Lieutenant said.
“It was a bit of extra money at the time, but you had to do so much military stuff as well as playing the rugby.
“It wasn’t something I had every really thought about at that time, I assumed I’d go into something to do with my sports science degree, but I loved it.
“I really enjoyed the rugby side of it but then I saw the other side of what the Air Force had to offer as I was leaving university, that’s when I applied to join and I got to do it full time.
“I haven't lived or trained with Amy for quite a few years now so it will be nice to get back together and see each other a lot more often.”
Earlier in the year, Nye changed to a project-based role, enabling her to work from home and move to Leicester, devoting more time to training in an increasingly competitive league.
Having joined the club in late 2022, the scrum-half is revelling in Tigers life under Head of Women's Rugby Vicky Macqueen as they look to establish themselves in their debut season in the top flight.
“It was almost noticeable when I was in a full-time non-remote role how many people around you are progressing,” she said.
“It was frustrating because you want to progress and give as much time as you can.
“Now that I can attend these day sessions, I've noticed it in my own game. I used to be terrible at kicking but now having the time to go away with the coach and practice those things is all you want as a player.
“We want to be competitive but it’s also about building. We’ve got a three-year plan and by the end of that we want to be top of the Premiership.
“It’s been nice to come into the squad where we’re so supported by Tigers as a whole. Even in the Championship we still played our games at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
“We were getting hundreds of people down to watch. People in Leicester are just rugby mad, they love it.”
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