Full steam ahead for flying Scots!
SCOTLAND winger Rhona Lloyd is backing the national rugby side to go from strength to strength after Saturday’s victory over Wales, which was a record seventh consecutive Test win for the team in all competitions.
The 27-year-old GB Sevens star scored a crucial try in the second half — her 22nd in 47 caps — to help the Scots get their Six Nations campaign off to a flying start with a 20-18 triumph in Cardiff.
And Lloyd is part of a side who are now unbeaten since April last year. Seven wins on the spin have beaten the six set by their predecessors in season 1997-98 — and it was a first positive result on Welsh soil since 2004.
‘I am really proud of the team and how far we have come,’ she said. ‘We knew it was going to be a really tough match. It’s always close between us and Wales, so I’m just so proud of our composure and our game management at the end as we ground out those phases, played in the right areas and held our nerve.
‘It felt so calm and collected all week in the build-up and that was how it felt from minute one to minute 80 on the pitch.’
The squad may have felt calm, but Wales so nearly grabbed a draw in the 79th minute only for a conversion to drift wide.
Still, Scotland deserved that bit of luck for the way they had played at Cardiff Arms Park.
They are now preparing to meet France, the world’s No3-ranked side, in round two at Hive Stadium in Edinburgh on Saturday.
The Scottish attack is looking sharp ahead of that challenge. Lloyd’s fellow winger Coreen Grant also scored a try against the Welsh, while centre Emma Orr and full-back Meryl Smith were constant threats.
‘We’ve got a lot of amazing finishers on our team,’ said Lloyd. ‘Coreen was outstanding and, depth-wise, we’re in a really good place.
‘Meryl Smith, Emma Orr, Lisa Thomson, Helen Nelson — their ball-playing ability is absolutely world-class and that is why we’re seeing the finishers score more tries.’
Head coach Bryan Easson singled out 19-year-old backrower Alex Stewart for praise after a superb debut.
The teenager was yellow-carded late on but, up until that moment, she looked at home on the big stage.
‘Alex was excellent, you wouldn’t think she has only been around the squad for four weeks,’ said Easson of his new No 7.
‘Genuinely, she played well above the levels that she has done before, but at a level that we know she is capable of.
‘She really was excellent and she has a big future.
‘I also want to pay tribute to Coreen Grant who is a very smart rugby player and to Helen Nelson whose 100-per-cent kicking was crucial.’
Hooker Lana Skeldon and second-row Sarah Bonar were forced off in the second half with head and arm injuries respectively. Both will be assessed at the start of this week.