Scots chasing their dream of World Cup spot
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Scotland Women’s team are well aware of the mammoth test ahead of them this evening against canada, the third best team in the world. However, the game at Scotstoun is just another step towards the ultimate prize — a place at the 2021 Rugby World cup.
World Rugby announced last week new Zealand would host the next instalment of the competition for the first time since it became an IRB-sanctioned event, and the news has brought with it a new level of excitement within the Scottish camp.
the Scots narrowly missed out on qualification for the 2017 tournament, losing to Spain 25-15 on aggregate over two legs in 2016. three years earlier, the Spanish had again thwarted their hopes, earning qualification alongside Samoa ahead of Scotland.
It’s fair to say, then, that this group of women encompass a new level of determination as they look ahead to 2021. Helen nelson — who has become a leading figure alongside fellow centre lisa thomson — knows the hard work starts now if they are to have a shot at qualifying.
to that end, the duo are two of eight players who hold an SRU ‘2021 contract’ in a bid to secure qualification.
‘as soon as the announcement was made (about new Zealand) everyone was chatting away on Whatsapp and we were like: “We need to be there!”,’ nelson told Sportsmail.
‘We were all buzzing and encouraging each other. It almost makes it more real now that there’s a place. Everyone is very excited. We know we have one goal and this year is building towards that. It’s so important for us.’
thomson, who captains the side for the second time tonight, believes the news has brought an added focus to her squad.
‘It’s a massive boost,’ she agreed. ‘It’s rugby country down there and everybody is looking to build and qualify — get out there and get some wins.’
Following on from the success of 2017 — the most well-attended World cup ever — World Rugby have implemented some changes to the 2021 event to increase spectator interest.
With the addition of an extra knockout round, longer rest periods between matches and larger squad sizes, the federation is clearly making a strong commitment to the game. and while the qualification process has not yet begun, Scotland will view their next few fixtures as a starting block for their campaign.
currently in the midst of their autumn series, head coach Shade Munro can use these newly established test matches as an opportunity to measure how much his team must improve to reach their goal.
the Scots did not get off to an ideal start earlier this month, losing 38-0 away to Italy. outmuscled and mentally rattled, Munro and his team will look to put that right tonight.
‘In some respects, it’s good that the majority of the team are going back out again, because a lot of it (the Italy match) was mental — a rabbit-in-the-headlights scenario,’ said Munro.
‘they (the squad) didn’t perform the way they should have. they just went into their shells and didn’t come back out again.
‘It was quite an odd one — we’ve had a lot of discussions about it. our training has been slightly different in terms of how we approach the game.
‘If we go into the game against canada with that same mentality, we’re in big trouble. they’re no 3 in the world at the moment. It’s very important that we start well. We can’t be affected by individual mistakes, which they seemed to be against Italy.’
the canadians are looking to round off a relatively successful autumn tour. Beating Wales last week and pushing England to the brink a fortnight ago, the fixture will put a spotlight on the gap the Scots must close if they are to compete with the best teams in the world game.
But Munro can look at it as a positive. Much like Shelley Kerr and her Scotland’s women’s football team taking on the USa — no one expected them to win but it’s important to put in a performance.
‘You could argue that playing the test matches as early, this, with the build-up we have leading into them, comes a bit soon, but I think what they need to do is be exposed to these environments more often so that we can learn from the experience of it,’ added Munro.
‘Even losing to Italy by 38 points is actually a big part of the learning experience. Playing canada — we’d never normally play a test match against a top three side in november, so this is new to the women’s game. But I think it’s really positive and it’s exactly what they need to do.’
Munro makes two changes to his side, bringing in Harlequins backrower Jade Konkel and Rachel Mclachlan starts at no 7 following her positive impact in Italy.
Spain will be the team’s final fixture in January before the Six nations commences. looking back on the history between the two sides, there will be no love lost on that occasion.
‘Spain are a good side, we’ve played against them a few times, but we know how they play and they’ll know how we play,’ said thomson. ‘I think we will want to put our game on to them. It doesn’t matter what they do. We need to play our game to win that.’
With more camps, international test matches and funding, Munro believes everything is in place for his squad to reach their potential.
‘certainly, from a program point of view, it’s all there, in terms of the experience that they need,’ added Munro. ‘We just need the players to move forward with this, embrace it and improve.’