Full Steam Ahead For Top Scorer Lyons And Title-Chasing Railway

At just 19, Heidi Lyons is already living a season that many experienced players spend a lifetime chasing. In her first year in the Energia All-Ireland League, the Railway Union starlet has not merely announced herself, she has embedded herself at the very heart of a team on track for a shot at silverware.

Twelve games played, eleven starts, and 94 points and 14 tries scored. Statistics alone tell one story, but they cannot fully capture the weight of what Lyons has carried into this season, nor the emotional undercurrent that continues to propel her forward every time she pulls on the Railway jersey.

A native of Kildare, Lyons made the trip to the capital to try out Railway having had experiences with Leinster over the summer in their Interpro series, once the journey was made, she never wanted to leave.

Lining out in the centre and at out-half this season, Lyons plays with a maturity way beyond her years, but also plays with a purpose.

Railway’s season began in uncertainty. Three defeats from their opening three games left them searching for footing, searching for belief. Since then, they have been untouchable, nine consecutive wins, culminating in last week’s emphatic 73-0 win over Cooke, a match in which Lyons crossed twice and added four conversions. The transformation has been stark, but within the camp, it never felt miraculous.

“I knew a good few of the girls over at Railway, so I just thought I’d try out all the clubs, give them all a go and see which one I liked. And as soon as I went to Railway, I knew straight away,” Lyons told IrishRugby.ie.

“And then to appear in all 12 games is a big achievement for me. We did have a rocky start, but to be honest, I never doubted we’d get to this position. And the foundations our coaches put in place, it’s hard not to get to the position we’re in now without them.”

For Lyons, belief has always come naturally, not from arrogance, but from preparation, grounding, and an upbringing steeped in sport. She arrived into the Energia All-Ireland League as a teenager, but never looked like one. From her first appearances, there was a calmness in her decision-making, a sense that the pace of the game suited her rather than overwhelmed her.

“The first few games, I was kind of just finding my feet, but like with the wealth of experience around me, it was very seamless,” she explains.

“Niamh Byrne outside me at 13 and then Nikki Caughey helping me at 10 as well. So it was just, it was easy when you’re surrounded by players like that and they just kind of settle your nerves and they’ve been around a long time to know how I’m feeling and how to treat me on the pitch, it was really seamless.”

That environment, supportive, demanding, and ambitious has allowed Lyons to flourish. She has grown game by game, not just as a great ball carrier well able to snipe a try or a kicker, but as a competitor comfortable in pressure moments. Her kicking for posts has added another layer to her scoring input for the capital side this season.

“I’ve been working on my conversions recently. So me and Hannah Scan are alternating a few kicks here and there. But yeah, hopefully I’ll get a few more scores on the board and just help the team hopefully to make it to the Aviva.”

Mention of the Aviva Stadium brings a pause. Railway have been there in back to back seasons. It is the dream every young rugby player in Ireland grows up with and for Lyons, it has been there as long as she can remember.

“It would be a dream to play in the Aviva. I’ve always thought of it since I was a kid. And I think it would be amazing. And that’s where our eyes are set. We’re just trusting the process and trusting what our coaches have put in place. And hopefully we’ll get there.”

The belief that Railway can reach those heights is not blind optimism. It is rooted in work done long before Lyons ever debuted in the league. Her path to this level has been anything but straightforward, despite playing with the Ireland U18’s and getting the chance with the Leinster senior setup after featuring for their 18’s, the path has been marked by setbacks that would have stalled many players long before now.

“It’s been really exciting,” she says.

“I had an injury two years ago and then I was fighting to make that U18 6 Nations and luckily I did. So getting that experience kind of boosted me going into the Leinster set up. And then Ben Martin gave me a really good opportunity to showcase what I can do with Leinster.

So I’m very grateful for that. And then that kind of just built my confidence going into the AIL. I’m just backing myself with the history behind me there. I was just loving it. I’m just really excited at the minute. There’s just loads to look forward to.”

That “history” stretches back to a childhood spent juggling multiple sports, driven by a deep competitiveness and an even deeper love for being part of a team. Rugby was not her only calling, Gaelic Football ran alongside it for years.

“I played most sports to be honest. But rugby and gaelic were my main ones. I played with Kildare from U14’s, until minor. And then I got asked to play with the senior team. And then that was when I kind of had to make my decision whether to pick rugby or gaelic. Because doing them at the same time at that level it’s not durable.

And after picking up that ACL injury, I think that was when I realised I really do have to just pick one sport. And my love has always been with rugby. Don’t get me wrong, I did love the gaelic. It was good fun. And I have lifelong best friends from it. But yeah, rugby has always been my passion.”

That passion was nurtured in a family where sport was not simply encouraged, but lived. Lyons comes from a lineage where dedication to performance and professionalism was normalised early. Her brother Andrew, known as Andy, has represented Ireland at underage level in soccer, played in the League of Ireland with Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers, and now plies his trade with Blackpool in England.

“No, I’m not like my brother. I actually haven’t tried that, haven’t tried soccer. Maybe one day, we’ll see,” she laughs.

“My dad was really passionate about sport. He founded Mount Merrion Football Club. So he would have been very, very passionate about sport. And then my uncle, Johnny Lyons, was a sports presenter for years. There’s a big sporting history in my family. And then Andrew’s just a massive influence to this day. He just helps me out with everything, on and off the pitch. And even in our off-seasons, we’ll always train together. And any worries, concerns, he’ll always be there.”

Andy’s influence is not just physical, but philosophical, a player who has played professional level sport for years serving as a guiding voice reminding her why she plays.

“He has said to me a good few times, choose your priorities. Do you want to play for Ireland or do you want to have fun. It’s always been for Ireland for me. He’s kind of always there to guide me in the right direction. And I was exposed to good training from him, from a young age. And him just easing me into the gym and stuff from an early age as well.”

Ireland remains the clear horizon. The pathway is visible now, no longer abstract.

“My next goal is Ireland 20s, and I’m really pushing for that. But the main goal is definitely to play for the Ireland international team. And I’ll put everything I can forward to get there, and hopefully it works out.”

Yet for all the ambition, Lyons remains grounded, shaped by lessons learned early this season and beyond.

“There’s learnings to get from every game. Winning and losing. The first three games particularly, I think I learnt a lot. But every game I’ve learnt loads. I think when you’re winning consistently, you’re constantly building that confidence and backing your ability.”

Still, to understand the drive that fuels Lyons now, the quiet fire burning behind her performances this season, you have to look beyond rugby. Two years ago, her life changed.

Her dad Maurice Lyons died after a battle with cancer, leaving behind a family steeped in sport and a young daughter whose world shifted suddenly and irrevocably. For Heidi, the loss was deeply personal but also profoundly formative.

Her dad had been her constant, on the sidelines, or in the car on the way to training, in the small moments that define a young athlete’s life. He didn’t just watch her play rugby; he made it his mission.

“I lost my dad two years ago to cancer, unfortunately. Me and him, we had a really good bond. He’s my hero. And I did promise him I’d play for Ireland. So I think that’s probably my biggest driver. And then two months after he passed away, I did my ACL. Off the pitch, it was extremely difficult,” she admits.

“But I think it just builds your character, builds resilience and I’m still going. I don’t think he missed a game. Even with the Leinster U18’s, he was in hospital. He made it his mission to get out of hospital and make it to the game. Just knowing he was able to go to every game and he wanted to go to every game always sits with me.”

Those moments linger now, quietly present in every training session, at every game. There is maturity in how Lyons speaks about her journey, a recognition that success does not exist in isolation.

For now, the focus remains on the present, a Railway Union side brimming with belief, momentum, and youthful fearlessness. With Round 13 on the horizon they go into the next block looking to continue this recent form

At 19, in her first season of senior rugby, Heidi Lyons is already playing like someone determined to keep that promise made to her dad, no matter how long the road ahead may be. Every try, every conversion, every minute on the pitch is part of a promise made, a promise still being kept.

“It really just pushes me on, drives me onto the pitch and makes me turn up to every training session. And the girls are constantly pushing me in training. And if I’m going up against anyone, they back me all day long. And just that confidence from my teammates in me just makes everything a lot easier.

It just gives you that drive to succeed in many different areas as well. I want to be successful off the pitch in other ways. I want to be a successful businesswoman once I finish my degree in business at DCU, and then definitely push on with rugby.”

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