Nikki Simpson: The unexpected nine hour drive which kick started a career

Scotland development player Nikki Simpson has always been driven to succeed – and the near nine hour drive she made from her home village of Fyvie to Leicester late last summer may be one of the most important ones that she has ever made as she continues to take her game to the next level.

Simpson, now 26, was all set to start the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership campaign for 2024/25 in Scotland with her new club Hillhead Jordanhill in Glasgow until the opportunity came to get involved in the PWR.

“I think I had one training session with Hillhead and then I had calls with Leicester Tigers and the coaches at the club,” hooker Simpson recounts.

“It then all happened really quickly, within about two weeks I had signed with Leicester on a short-term deal and was packing up my things and heading down south to get to know the area and my new team mates.

“I am from a small village called Fyvie in Aberdeenshire in the north of Scotland so even making the move to Glasgow, about a three hour drive away, was a big thing, but no sooner was I there then I was heading nearly nine hours away to Leicester.

“There was a lot of different emotions, I was super excited to be heading down, but also nervous and a bit anxious.

“I didn’t know how training was going to be and I didn’t know if I’d be totally out of my comfort zone, but I was so keen to give it a go as the kind of opportunity to play at this level was one I’d been looking for.

“On my first day I met some of the girls and we went to one of the Down Syndrome sessions that the club do.

“Everyone was super welcoming on that day and the members of the Leicester squad took me under their wing and I felt settled.

“Training was tough, but enjoyable, from day one and I felt like I was learning straight away.

“It was a step up for me training at that level regularly, even a step up from the training I’d done with Glasgow during the Celtic Challenge [in 2023/24], but I loved it.

“Soon after I got going I was in the matchday 23 for a PWR Up Series match with Sale Sharks at Mattioli Woods Welford Road and I enjoyed that experience and just wanted to build from there.”

And build from there, the player who has been in wider Scotland training camps, but has yet to be capped, has done.

She has been a fairly regular fixture in the Leicester matchday 23 in the PWR in recent months and was involved off the bench in the Big Game at the Allianz Stadium in front of a record club rugby women’s crowd of 18,055 versus hosts Harlequins.

“That was an amazing experience, a bit of a ‘pinch yourself’ moment,” she said.

“I had never played in front of a crowd of that size and although we lost it was a great learning experience.

“Other highs have included our away win against Sale Sharks in December, while playing at home at Mattioli Woods Welford Road is always amazing, what a place it is to get to call home. My parents have made the long trip down from Fyvie to see me play and my partner and other friends have been at home matches too and that just makes it extra special.

“I have recently been able to start the games against Saracens and Bristol Bears and I took a lot of confidence from that and now just want to keep playing my part until the end of this season.”

 

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And Simpson could not have asked for a better training partner and mentor in recent months than experienced Red Roses hooker Amy Cokayne.

“It has been amazing, I couldn’t imagine anyone better to be paired up with, she’s just so helpful,” Simpson explained.

“She’ll just watch you throwing in training and be like ‘I just think you need to do this or you need to have your hands up higher’ and Amy will always give you tips, she just wants to help you get better.

“She’s super approachable and I know I can go up to her at any time and ask for help if I need it or feedback and she’s such a nice person with a real drive to succeed and get better every day.”

Simpson and Leicester are preparing for a home PWR match this coming Saturday against Loughborough Lightning.

They then have three more regular season games to play in the PWR before, after the play-offs, minds will wander to the Guinness Women’s Six Nations which begin on Saturday 22nd March.

As mentioned, Simpson is uncapped as yet and was not part of the WXV 2 squad late last year, but being given a development contract by Scottish Rugby in February last year was a big boost for her and she still has hopes of representing her country in this biggest of international years.

“Playing for Scotland is still the dream that I’m chasing so if that call comes that would be great, but I know I have to just keep focusing on my games for Leicester and what will come, will come,” the player who took up the sport in her teens and has previously worked as a rugby development officer, stated.

“Getting the Scotland development contract early last year was a big thing for me, I think it gave me belief that I really could take my rugby further.

“I was 25 by that point and had mainly played club rugby for the Ellon under-18s, Garioch in two spells and Cartha Queens Park, but I’d also experienced playing for the Thistles and then Glasgow Warriors in the Celtic Challenge and I had always enjoyed testing myself at higher levels.

“The development contract allowed me more training opportunities and gave me a chance to work more regularly with international players and see what that level was all about.

“And since then, the move to Leicester and the Tigers has been the best thing for me. I am just loving my rugby just now.”