SCOTTISH THISTLES WILL UNITE PAST AND PRESENT STARS
KIM LITTLEJOHN, who captained her country at the 1994 World Cup, is one of the women behind a plan to set up the ‘Scottish Thistles’ — the firstever association for former and current international female players. Details of the new organisation come as Scotland today name their 32-strong squad for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand at an event at Raeburn Place — where Scotland women played their first international game against Ireland in 1993. The new body would not cut across Scotland women remaining part of Rugby Players Scotland, which represents men and women in negotiations with the SRU. The Scottish women recently fell out with RPS chief executive Bill Mitchell over public comments he allegedly made on their behalf after the tragic death of Scotland player Siobhan Cattigan. Littlejohn, who said plans for the organisation had been in the pipeline for a long time and had nothing to do with any other matter, wants the current team to know that those that have gone before are backing them all the way. A strong-running centre, who captained her country in 29 of her 43 international appearances, she said: ‘We just want to show our support and make them feel they belong and that we are 100per-cent behind them. ‘Having this international women’s player association for Scotland is a great idea and hopefully will bring everybody a little bit closer. ‘England have a network for former and current international players and our former players Donna Kennedy and Beth McLeod have decided to set up the same thing in Scotland. Donna made an announcement to us a couple of weeks ago and everybody is so keen to be involved. We want to reconnect.’ Littlejohn, 51, from Kirkcaldy, is one of only six women in the Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame, and her glory days in the Home Nations championship were immortalised on a postage stamp. She believes the Scotland team can do well in the World Cup later this year despite a disappointing Six Nations that saw Bryan Easson’s side lose all five of their fixtures. ‘I know from personal experience how hard it sometimes is to get up for a tournament soon after an earlier one,’ she said. ‘This time out, Scotland managed to qualify for the World Cup, then a few months later didn’t do well in the last Six Nations. I can understand that. In 1998 we won the Grand Slam Home Nations in March but couldn’t get out of our group in the World Cup two months later in Amsterdam. ‘We just couldn’t peak twice in quick succession and that is maybe what happened to the current Scotland team. They have had a decent break between the Six Nations and their World Cup build-up and can go in fresh to New Zealand. ‘There is a load of potential in that squad and they won’t be looking back. Playing a World Cup in New Zealand is the pinnacle. I am sure the Scotland players will rise to the challenge.’