Bo Westcombe‑Evans believes she is returning to near the levels of the player she was before her major knee injury after producing a remarkable display against Harlequins.
The Loughborough Lightning winger scored a hat‑trick on Friday night at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens in a 43–33 victory – taking her try tally for the club to 42 from 59 outings.
That impressive number would have been even higher had the 23‑year‑old not suffered an ACL rupture in October 2024, just weeks after making her Red Roses debut.
But on the evidence of the Premiership Women’s Rugby Round 14 encounter in Northampton, Westcombe‑Evans appears back to her potent best just a few weeks before England select their squad for the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.
“I definitely think there’s still more to come,” she said. “I was out for a year and this is my first season back, and I definitely think there are aspects of my game that are coming together. I am coming back to the player I was before my injury. I’ve just got to keep building each week, getting better, getting faster.
“I always go out there wanting to play the best game possible. My team gave me some great go‑forward to attack the space on the wing, so without them I wouldn’t be able to score the tries that I did. Big credit to everyone playing for Lightning in the win.”
The Built for Athletes player of the match also produced a scintillating assist, racing 50 metres upfield, grubbering past Ellie Kildunne and almost going the distance before Lis Maude arrived to finish the job.
While five of Lightning’s seven tries came from the backs – with Carmela Morrall also crossing the line late on – Westcombe‑Evans was quick to praise the forwards who laid the foundations for the success.
“Our set‑piece was really good, and it gave us great momentum,” she added. “Players like Ala [Lutui] give us great go‑forward to get up the pitch and open up the edge for us. Having that makes me play with more freedom and get my hands on the ball more, which, as a winger, I love. It was a great game.”
Westcombe‑Evans has been an ever‑present in Lightning’s PWR season, including the recent losses to Bristol Bears and Sale Sharks when her side were unable to convert strong leads into victories.
She believes Lightning’s approach to the Harlequins match was key to taking maximum points.
“There has been a big emphasis on believing in ourselves and focusing on our process rather than the other team. I really think that’s something we did today. We played our game, played edge to edge, and it really worked for us. We got some great success from it.”
Westcombe-Evans and Lightning will be back in action at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday 22 March when Gloucester-Hartpury are the visitors – tickets are available by clicking HERE.