Next Phase Rugby Player of the Month: Lucy Brandt

July is a big month for representative rugby and the Next Phase Rugby Player of Month is an active pursuer of those opportunities. Rising high school senior Lucy Brandt out of Arizona recently returned from the Eagle Impact Rugby Association (EIRA) tour to Ireland, one of many trips around the country and internationally for the scrumhalf with next-level aspirations.

Brandt grew up in rugby. Her dad, Ted, started playing at 18 years old and introduced the sport to his daughters as soon as they were ready for athletics. At age five, Lucy was booting up with the Scottsdale Wolves and worked up through the age grades.

“My dad always saw that I could keep up with the older girls, so he moved me up,” Lucy said of her trend to play beyond her age group. “It started when U12 was co-ed, but I was the only girl playing in the whole division. He wanted me to get some more girls’ rugby, so he moved me up to U14 when I was 10. Then I started playing U16 at 12 and high school at 13.”

Arizona provides 7s for its girls’ rugby players, but the state all-star program, the Arizona Bobcats, travels around the country for both 7s and 15s tournaments. By age 13, both Lucy and her older sister, Charlotte, who is a rising sophomore at NCAA DI Queens University of Charlotte, were representing the Grand Canyon State. There were trips to NAI 7s in Salt Lake City, 15s games in Southern California, as well as regular trips to the Great Northwest Challenge (GNC), which has occurred in Montana of late. The Bobcats also featured at what is now called the EGRL Showcase one June, playing all-star teams from the East Coast.

By age 15, Lucy started exploring travel teams that pull players from across the country, and got selected to EIRA, Atlantis, Atlanta Valkyries and Premier Rugby (PR) 7s squads that played from Ireland, to New York, to Florida and Utah.

“It was definitely more of my parents seeking opportunities for me to get more rugby,” Lucy said of connecting with more and different programs. “But playing for these clubs early on, especially EIRA, it did help me get my name known, whether it was other girls, parents or coaches that could vouch for me to play on the team.”

Lucy is comfortable in the 7s game, but as the all-star experience started piling up, her 15s game came along. As a scrumhalf, that exposure was especially crucial.

“When I first started playing 15s, it definitely was overwhelming,” Lucy said of absorbing new information. “There’s just so much to think about, and it’s more than double the girls on the field. But as I’ve gotten more opportunities, I’ve settled into it, and it’s the same as if I were to go on the pitch and play 7s now.

“It definitely feels like a treat every time I play [15s] because all year we only play 7s [in Arizona],” she added. “As a scrumhalf, my job changes so much, and I really enjoy it. It makes me think a lot more, which is fun.”

Lucy was selected to the just-concluded EIRA U18 touring group (stay tuned for interview with EIRA Girls Head Coach Kelsie McDowell) to Ireland. It was the second time she’s traveled overseas with the Salty Thompson-founded program, having played with the U16s in Ireland in 2024 as well.

“I worked with Lucy at the [2025 EIRA] winter camp but this is the first time I’ve gotten to work with her in a smaller environment,” said McDowell, whom Lucy called out as an influential coach across her playing career. “She’s super, super coachable. She, like the entire EIRA squad, grew leaps and bounds from game to game. Just a real student, like in her mentor groups and stuff like that. Came with good questions and was definitely involved, and you could see her confidence go up the entire time.

“As a person, she’s just a really good human,” the coach added. “So I’m excited to see what her next step is.”

Lucy also called out EIRA U16 coaches Jason Scrogham and Chris Rowell as lasting mentors, as well as Atlantis 7s coach Elijah Seay when at NAIs.

In Ireland, Lucy was named as the starting scrumhalf against Munster, Leinster and Connacht, and then came into the second half of the Ulster match.

“It was a really fun trip,” she said of the four-game tour. “The team meshed extremely well and we all became friends pretty fast, which definitely helped on the pitch.

“It’s really the level of competition and getting different perspectives,” Lucy said of the benefits of select side tours. “My whole life, my dad has been my coach, which is amazing, but getting different feedback has really helped me develop as a player. For example, this past trip, I got really specific critique on how I could improve my pass [from Salty Thompson], and that type of feedback will continue to move the rest of my rugby career.

“And then also learning how to play with all different types of people, having to learn new styles, and how to work with each other really fast – that also helps me with my rugby IQ and how to mesh with new people,” she added.

Lucy was also inspired by her teammates, most notably the trio of captains in Giselle Long, Rachel Kissinger and Sadie Hershberger. All three are aging out of the U18s and this fall will attend Brown University, Cardiff Met University (Wales) and St. Bonaventure University, respectively, as incoming freshmen. They also represent three very different collegiate pathways.

“They’re really great leaders and work to include everyone,” Lucy praised the captains. “They really made a big impact, because they made me feel on the field that they were there with me supporting me and playing with me as a unit.”

Lucy, who also wrestles, is now back in Arizona and readying for her senior year of high school. Her big goal rugby wise is to get seen by college colleges and start those recruitment conversations more seriously. And if the opportunity to play internationally presents itself again, that would really top off her senior year.

“I really like the programs of both the [varsity] military academies,” Lucy said of NCAA DI Army West Point and Navy, both of which connected with Lucy at this year’s GNC.”I also really like the Ivy League programs. I think they’re well run and also it’s a great education. I just haven’t quite started reaching out to them yet, but that’s something that I’m interested in as well.”

Cardiff Met in Wales is also on Lucy’s hit list.

“One of my closest friends who plays 10 for my home club and the Bobcats, she’s going to Cardiff Met now, actually, for the preseason and this fall semester,” Lucy said of Ariana Thomas. “And then one of the EIRA captains this past tour, Rachel Kissinger, and another girl I had previously played with on the EIRA tour, Sara Butler, are both going there.”

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Lucy also has insight into the NCAA DI world through her sister, Charlotte, who just completed her first year in Charlotte, N.C.

“I got insight on how busy my schedule will be, like balancing school and social life and rugby,” she said of her sister as a resource. “I also saw what it would be like going from my club, where we practice maybe three times a week, to going to a full schedule and practicing five days a week for the whole year. I’ve gotten to actually see it through her, and it kind of helped me realize that it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. It seems much more manageable.”

Lucy is looking to pursue physical therapy or environment engineering, as well as DI rugby, more international fixtures and ideally the USA 7s and/or 15s teams.

“I want to shout out my dad,” Lucy reflected on her trajectory. “He’s been the biggest help in my rugby career. He’s coached me my whole life and he’s been the one to find all the opportunities and put me in all the right places to get my name out there and also just gain experience.”

To learn more about Lucy Brandt and fellow high schoolers nationwide looking to play rugby in college, download the Next Phase Rugby app on the Apple App Store or Google Play and search “Next Phase Rugby.” For more information, visit nextphaserugby.com or e-mail greg@nextphaserugby.com.