Bo Westcombe Evans: 'The goal now is to get back into England'

There was exactly 365 days between Bo Westcombe Evans’ ACL rupture and her return to Premiership Women’s Rugby action for Loughborough Lightning.

In October 2024 the wing was riding the high of a 14-try season in the English top flight and her Red Roses debut in a successful WXV 1 campaign in Canada.

A spell on the sidelines was not what the 23-year-old had in mind. But it was the challenge at hand.

“The longest I’d ever been out (injured) was maybe a couple of weeks or so,” Westcombe Evans told RugbyPass. “I’d never had to rehab anything. Then this came around.

“You’d have to take each week as it came. There was obviously hard time. Difficult times. It taught me so much. So much resilience. But I had such a good group of friends around me.

“I learned that resting is a good thing. I don’t rest often. I often go 100 miles per hour all the time. This was the first time in years that I’d actually able to take a step back and reflect on everything that’s happened. Listen to my body and think about what rugby means to me. Because, after surgery on my knee, it may not have been the same again.

“There were so many points where I was sat at home with a Game Ready (knee brace) on my knee watching everyone else being able to live a normal life. I couldn’t even stand up without my knee swelling for two months.”

It is hard for Westcombe Evans to deny that winning more caps for England is not at the top of her wish list.

She watched on as her international teammates powered their way to Women’s Rugby World Cup glory against Canada in the final at the end of September, just over 11 months after she had helped the Red Roses to consecutive WXV titles with a win over the same opponent in Vancouver.

That summer, which turned into an early autumn with John Mitchell’s team, was an unexpected one for the wing. Even off the back of her best individual season, beating the likes of Jess Breach and Abby Dow to selection was a difficult challenge to comprehend.

“I genuinely loved every minute,” Westcombe Evans said. “I had no expectation to go to WXV. I came in and it was literally just week by week. If you’d asked me two months prior I would never have believed that I was going on a tour with England. Let alone coming away with two caps.

“The goal now is to get back into the England squad and performance is the only way to do that. That is ultimate goal. I’d love to go back and do it again. Hopefully I get the chance at some point.”

Westcombe Evans knew that her dream of playing at a home Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025 was over when she received her ACL diagnosis.

Instead, she had to settle in for the hard work that paved the way for her return to the field and heard tales from housemate Lilli Ives Campion who was one of the 32 that helped the Red Roses to a third world title.

Now both are in the thick of a club campaign in which Loughborough hope to compete in the last four for the first time since 2021.

This weekend it promises to be a fiery East Midlands clash between Lightning and Leicester Tigers at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens. If the promise of a cut-throat clash against their noisy neighbours on Saturday afternoon was not enough, it will also be a day to celebrate for Westcombe Evans.

 

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If, or when, the wing runs out onto the Northampton turf it will be her 50th game wearing African Violet. Over the years the 23-year-old has crossed the whitewash on 35 occasions and even completed her degree in sports management.

“I wouldn’t even think I’ve played that many games,” Westcombe Evans said. “It’s pretty cool and it will be exciting to run out with the team that we’ve got now.

“My debut was against Wasps. Back in the day. I was 18 or 19 in my first year of uni. I scored a try. That’s all I remember. It was the most nerve-wracking thing in the world.

“You’re not fully in the squad. Really trying to make a name for yourself. Then three years later you’re in the England squad getting your first cap.”

Heading into last weekend, which was a rest for all nine PWR clubs, Westcombe Evans has taken part in all three of her team’s matches to start the 2025/26 season.

She was a try scorer in the league opener against Harlequins and contributed to her team’s win against Sale Sharks and draw with Exeter Chiefs.

With Round 5 of the season quickly approaching the 23-year-old admits that she is still finding her way back to complete self-belief.

“My goal at the moment is to build my confidence back and start playing the rugby that I was playing before,” Westcombe Evans said “Obviously it’s a bit of a confidence knock not playing for a year and getting confidence in my knee again.

“My knee’s completely fine, but there’s days where it will feel heavy. Stepping off my left knee can be scary at times. Bringing Loughborough to the top four, playing well, being cohesive with my team is ultimately my goal. We have started pretty well this season. The team does look different this year.”

From virtually the first minute of the new season Lightning have looked a different prospect.

Their 52-42 loss to Harlequins in West London at the start of the season was disappointing, but showed just how the side will go about their business this term. A close run thing against Sale showed real resolve and the celebrations at securing a 33-all draw with Chiefs proved beyond doubt how high expectations are.

Nathan Smith has had the opportunity to refresh his coaching staff with the experience of Rachel Taylor and the recently retired Emily Scarratt. Ending their hiatus from knockout rugby is their foremost objective.

 

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With a squad full to the brim of talent – whether that be Helen Nelson, Alev Kelter or Sadia Kabeya – it is generally after Christmas that Lightning have sprung into life and challenged for the top four.

This year could well be different. With eight points from their opening three games of the season, confidence is clearly high in camp. Taylor’s new defence seems to have taken hold, and the backline look ready to strike at will.

“Even two or three seasons ago if we looked at our team, you would definitely question why we weren’t in the top four,” Westcombe Evans said. “We had a great team, but something wasn’t clicking.

“I think there’s been a switch at the moment in terms of the coaching staff and how players interact on the pitch. I just think we are such a better team in terms of how we treat each other and how we react to certain situations.”