Claudia MacDonald currently plays as a scrum half for the England women’s rugby union team and Exeter Chiefs Women. She debuted for the national squad in 2018 during the Quilter Internationals.
Born on 4 January 1996 in Epsom, Surrey, Claudia MacDonald moved to Dubai at the age of 12. She spent four years there with her family while her brother, Alex, played for the Arabian Gulf side – her other brother, Seb, represented Swieqi Overseas Rugby Club in Malta.
MacDonald played netball during her childhood and it wasn’t until she attended Durham University that she began playing rugby. Her talent was quickly recognised and she subsequently became team captain, juggling her sporting ambitions while studying for a degree in economics.
After university, MacDonald returned to her roots and signed to Sutton & Epsom RFC. She stayed there until 2017 when she joined the Premier 15s Darlington Mowden Park Sharks. One year later, she transferred to Wasps Ladies before moving to Exeter Chiefs Women in 2022.
In addition to her club career, Claudia MacDonald is a well known player on the world stage. After making her debut against the United States in 2018, she signed her professional England contract in 2019. In the same year, she represented England at the 2019 Women’s Six Nations. She also scored a try during the opening match at the England Super Series and played 80 minutes in the team’s 60-3 win against Italy.
Next, MacDonald competed at the 2020 Six Nations, where she scored a try in England’s 53-0 victory over Scotland and won the Grand Slam. She scored another try at the 2021 tournament and helped the team to beat Italy 67-3. One year later, MacDonald was named in the England squad for the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup.
Described by England as a player who has ‘enjoyed a meteoric rise through the rugby ranks’, we’re sure there’s plenty more to come from Claudia MacDonald.
We’ve scarcely got going with this new Premiership Women’s Rugby campaign - if the season were a sprinter, it’d only just have reached its transition phase - but let’s hurl some opinions and predictions out into the World Wide Web, and see what sticks.