'This club became my home': Harlequins stalwart announces retirement

Harlequins club captain Jade Konkel will retire from rugby at the end of the 2025/26 season.

Throughout her career the 32-year-old has been an inspirational figure. In 2016 she became the first Scottish female to sign a professional contract with Scottish Rugby. She won 74 caps for Scotland and competed at the 2021 and 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

During the last edition of the Women’s Rugby World Cup it was confirmed that the forward was retiring from Test rugby. Her international rugby career concluded in Scotland’s 40-8 quarter-final loss to England at Ashton Gate Stadium.

Konkel joined Harlequins in 2018 and inherited the club’s captaincy in 2023. She captained the club to their first semi-final appearance in three years at the end of last season. In 2022/23 and 2024/25 the Scot was awarded the team’s Women’s Player of the Season.

The versatile forward has balanced her time on the field with her full-time job in the London Fire Brigade. So far this season, Konkel has been a major figure for her team, who are currently placed third in the Premiership Women’s Rugby table after Round 10.

Konkel said: “When I arrived at Harlequins in 2018, I didn’t come with a plan for how long I’d stay. I came with a love for rugby and a hope that I’d find a place where I could grow. Very quickly, this club became my home: a place that held me through every version of myself over the years and I could never have imagined how much this Club would come to mean to me.

“But the season isn’t over yet. This is just my last chapter. I’m here for this season, all in, chasing standards and chasing success with this group. When it’s over, I want to know the tank is well and truly empty: nothing left on the pitch, nothing to chance. Until that final whistle, the work continues and I’m proud to be doing it in this jersey, with this team.”

Ross Chisholm, Harlequins’ head coach, said: “Jade is an incredible leader and an even better person. She is someone who embodies what it means to be a Harlequin and I want to wish her all the best for what the future holds.

“When I first started coaching in the Women’s programme, it was quickly apparent just how much of an inspirational figure she is to the group, but she also combines that with an incredible work ethic and drive. There is still more to come throughout the rest of the season, but for now I want to pay tribute to an amazing person and wonderful career.”