129 seconds. That’s how long Lucia Scott was on the pitch for her Loughborough Lightning league debut when she gleefully scooped up Bo Westcombe-Evans’ inch-perfect grubber to score with her first touch.
Patience was a virtue that the Scotland international didn’t require in the East Midlands Derby on Saturday afternoon. Only five minutes had passed when the 21-year-old was summoned from the bench to replace Bulou Mataitoga for a head injury.
At that stage, the visitors to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens had stormed to an early five-point lead, only for Scott to cross soon after to mark her first points in a Lightning shirt.
“It was a little bit of a shock to the system, you never expect to go on that early, but you’ve got to be ready for anything,” Scott said after the 50-15 win. “I was a little bit like a deer in the headlights, but I got into the game fairly quickly.
But that Scott contribution was not the one highlighted by Nathan Smith in the post-match huddle. Five minutes into the second half and with the lead at only 16 points, Jemima McCalman intercepted a pass on halfway and cantered towards the line. Scott hunted down the Tigers centre and then pounced to earn a breakdown penalty.
Less than two minutes later, play swept up to the other end for Westcombe-Evans to complete her hat-trick, as Lightning built a commanding lead.
“I just saw her break the line, and I thought someone needs to go and get that girl because that’s not good enough from us, and we dropped a little bit in the second half,” Scott reflected.
“After that, the girls were buzzing, and it changed the momentum of the game a little bit. It was good to see, and we were kind of on top after that.
“Credit to Tigers, they were a force to be reckoned with, and they put up a great fight, and I don’t think the score necessarily reflected the game. It was a great game to be a part of.”
Scott was due some good fortune. The former Gloucester-Hartpury back was tracking towards Rugby World Cup selection with a try-scoring contribution in their final warm-up match against Ireland. Unfortunately, it came at a cost as the injuries she suffered ruled her out of contention.
“I broke both of my hands,” said Scott. “I broke a bone in one hand in the warm-up and then in the first minute of the game in two separate moments! So I got ruled out, and it [The World Cup] was a bit of a rough run.
“I’ve been trying to find my feet a little bit, but I am really happy with the move, and the girls here are lovely, and everything is going really well.
“I am optimistic, if I keep doing what I am doing, I will hopefully get a bit more game time moving forward.”