A Flight Lieutenant and Exeter Chiefs Scrum-Half - How Lucy Nye is Powered Differently

To say Lucy Nye faces challenges on and off the rugby pitch might be an understatement.

The Exeter Chiefs scrum half balances the battles on the field with those of being a Flight Lieutenant for the Royal Air Force.

Exeter born Nye returned to her hometown this summer after a spell with Leicester Tigers.

When she’s not deployed in the military and travelling the world, she’s training for one of the top women’s sides in the country.

“I am actually Exeter born and bred,” the 28-year-old said. “I’ve obviously been away for a while. I’m super, super excited to be back down here, near my family.

“I’m definitely a bit of a beach goer so being able to be back down by the coast and Devon as a whole is absolutely stunning.”

Nye’s story is one of nine being told this week as part of a new campaign from Premiership Women's Rugby called Powered Differently which focuses on just a few of the superhuman players across the league.

Alongside Nye the campaign features players like tattoo artist Amber Schonert at Sale Sharks, marine conservation student Freya Aucken at Harlequins, and solicitor Lizzie Goulden at Gloucester-Hartpury.

It was rugby where Nye originally heard of what could lie ahead for her in the military.

“I was introduced to the Royal Air Force by a previous head coach I had at another team that I played for,” Nye said. “He was also in the RAF.

“He spoke about the opportunities and attributes that it takes to be within the military.

“I think it was suited to me to a tee.

“There are a lot of attributes that you have and utilise from the rugby field and also in the military.

“Resilience is one, you go to some dark places on a rugby field with your team, and you work together to achieve greatness.

“That’s exactly what you do in the military.

“You go to some dark places and get put in some uncomfortable environments and it’s seeing how resilient you are, how much you can thrive and excel.”

 Rugby has a strong presence within the forces so the two parts of Nye’s life are more connected than one would assume.

“Rugby’s huge within the RAF,” Nye said. “You have inter-service fixtures every year, which is super competitive.

“But also, they are really supportive, they want to grow the game at all levels.

“Whether that’s community, getting people into playing or the top end level.

“There’s a few of us that the RAF support to be able to play at the highest levels, to try and be the best that we can be.

“They say being in the military is more of a lifestyle than it is a job. That’s something that takes a lot of balance, especially as PWR has been growing and the demand on you as an in an individual now is much greater than it ever was before.

“But I’m super lucky that the Royal Air Force are supporting me to come down to Exeter Chiefs to play.”

Nye will look to start her first season for the Exeter Chiefs with a bang as she travels to Harlequins on 5th October, before she welcomes old friends as new opponents when Leicester Tigers visit Sandy Park the following week.

The scrum-half explained that through all she’s experienced on and off the pitch, she ultimately finds herself in rugby.

“Rugby gives me identity,” said Nye. “It’s something that I’ve always done and I thrive being in a team environment.

“Rugby just challenges you in every shape and form. But being part of a team and working together to find those solutions, it does make you resilient.”