Who is Lydia Thompson: Ten things you should know about the England winger

Lydia Thompson is known for her lethal finishing skills out wide for the Red Roses. Here are a few things you should know about the England star…

Ten things you should know about Lydia Thompson

1. Lydia Thompson was born on 10 February 1992 in Stourbridge, England. She stands at 5ft 7in (1.7m) and weighs 11st 4lb (72kg).

2. She joined Worcester Warriors, now an Allianz Premier 15s club, in 2010.

3. Thompson won her first England cap in 2012 and reached a half-century of appearances against the USA in 2021. She marked that milestone by scoring two tries.

4. She scored two tries in England’s opening pool match of the 2014 Rugby World Cup. She was ruled out of the tournament due to injury after the game and the Red Roses went on to win the trophy.

5. Thompson won a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games as part of the sevens tournament.

6. She studied occupational therapy at Derby University.

7. When asked about gender in rugby, she told the Stylist: “I think sometimes people want to put someone in a box. They think rugby is a boys’ sport, a man’s sport and, actually, it’s showing that you don’t need to use boxes all the time. You don’t need to define a sport by a gender.”

8. She is a professional player and was awarded a full-time contract in 2019.

9. Thompson spoke about mental health during the Covid pandemic, telling NewsChain: “We’re not alone with those thoughts, no one is a superhero and only has positive thoughts. We do have the worry and anxiety so the fact we’re talking about it at club and England level is really important.”

10. She is married to her long-term partner Tom, who is also an occupational therapist.

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