Yahoo Finance Scottish Rugby Player Siobhan Cattigan Dead at 26
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Siobhan Cattigan, international rugby star, has died. She was 26.
"It's with a heavy heart we pass on the news of the tragic passing of Siobhan (Shibby) on Friday 26th November," the Stirling County Rugby Football Club said in a statement Tuesday on the club's website.
"Shibby has been a big part of County for many years and will be hugely missed by everyone at the club. She was central to the development of women's rugby within the club & an inspiration to the girls in the youth section," the statement continued.
Andrew Fosker/INPHO/Shutterstock Siobhan Cattigan
"Shibby was a teammate & friend & we deeply mourn her loss. Our love, thoughts & heartfelt condolences are with Shibby's family at this devastating time. We very much hope their privacy will be respected by everyone as they deal with their tragic loss," the Stirling County RFC announcement concluded.
An official cause of death has not yet been announced.
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The official Scottish Rugby Twitter account also issued a statement about the passing of Scotland's star athlete, writing, "Scottish Rugby is deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Scotland International Siobhan Cattigan. The thoughts of all our people and players go out to Siobhan's family, friends and many teammates at Stirling County and Scotland at this incredibly difficult time."
Cattigan won an impressive 19 caps throughout her international career while representing Scotland. Per ESPN's rugby dictionary, "Anytime a player plays in a match he/she is technically awarded a cap but the term is mostly used to note the number of official games a player has appeared for his/her national team against another national team."
The definition also states that a cap is "an honour, there is typically no physical item awarded."
According to a profile of Cattigan by The Scotsman, the rugby star started showing interest in the sport when she was around 5 years old, but stopped playing when she was 13. Cattigan then picked up rugby again when she attended the University of Stirling, and made her international debut for Scotland in the 2018 Women's Six Nations in a match against Wales.
Her last appearance on the field was at the 2021 Rugby World Cup qualifier in September this year.
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