Duguid announces her retirement from rugby

Exeter Chiefs Women’s lock Abby Duguid will retire from playing rugby at the end of this season.

The Canadian international, who is also adept in the back-row, will hang up her boots following her last game for the Chiefs.

The 28-year-old was brought in at the start of the season when Chiefs lost both Edel McMahon and Taz Bricknell to serious injury.

Head coach Steve Salvin sought out Duguid’s services as she had both international experience and PWR expertise, having played for Loughborough Lightning for five years amassing 55 games in African violet. She coached the women’s Loughborough University team too before lending her expertise to the after-school rugby club at The Maynard School in Exeter.

At the time, Salvin said: “Abby is an outstanding back-five player with significant PWR and international experience and is a great addition to our group.

“We have a strong tradition of signing Canadian internationals and we are extremely happy to have another one on our books for the coming season.

“Since her first game against Gloucester Hartpury in November last year, Duguid has made 10 more league appearances, scoring her one try against Bristol Bears Women.

Duguid said: "I had always watched professional sports at home, mainly ice hockey, and always wanted to be a pro athlete. A pro women’s rugby league just did not exist in my mind. But then I moved across the world to Loughborough to play rugby. It was a dream come true, although there were hard parts about leaving home during Covid but I did it for the love of the game.

“There are days when my life has felt unbelievable. This has been work for me and I have been lucky enough that when I say, ‘I’m going to work’ that means I am playing rugby.”

Chiefs Women’s player #123 Duguid will return home to her Edmonton in Alberta where she will resume teaching with plans to seek out a career in the fire service.

She added: “It’s been bittersweet because I came in feeling it would be my last year, but I have also had the best time. I feel like I have completion; I have finished on a high note. I have really fallen back in love with rugby. I have had the best season ever and I’m ready to be done. It feels like the right time.“

The thing I will miss most will be the girls. I have made life-long friends even though I have only really been here for eight months; it feels like I have been here forever.”

Duguid concluded: “I would like to thank everyone. People at home and everyone else who has supported me. Thanks to everyone who believed in me even when I sometimes did not believe in myself.”