Clash with England is sole focus for Bonar
SCOTLAND have drawn a line under qualifying for the World Cup for the time being — their sole focus is the TikTok Women’s Six Nations opener against England on Saturday.
That is the view of secondrow Sarah Bonar, who wants the squad to kick on from their recent run of five wins in six Tests and put together a strong campaign in the Six Nations showpiece between March 26 and April 30.
Last month, Bryan Easson’s team beat Colombia in Dubai in their concluding World Cup qualifier to make it to the finals in New Zealand in October and November.
It will be the first time in 12 years that the Scots will be at a World Cup, but the head coach and the rest of the squad won’t rest on their laurels and are determined to put in five good performances in the next few weeks.
How far this Scotland team has come in the last few months will certainly be tested when England visit Edinburgh’s DAM Health Stadium, as Simon Middleton’s squad are No 1 in the world.
It is a challenge Harlequins’ second-row Bonar is looking forward to and the 27-year-old Aberdonian said: ‘We had a camp last weekend and that was a good time to regroup and draw a line under everything that went on in Dubai.
‘We are now switched on for this big tournament coming up and we feel we can kick on from there.
‘There are a lot of players putting their hands up for selection and we are all pushing each other to get better.
‘We have looked at the finer details of things and what we want our identity as a team going forward to be. I think we are in a good place.
‘In terms of the hard work starting now, that is how we see it.
‘Yes, we have a World Cup to prepare for, but we are all just excited about the challenge of taking on England at home in front of a good crowd.’
Back-row Rachel Malcolm will captain Scotland in the Six Nations, while No8 Jade Konkel could win her 50th cap in the clash with England.
Scotland v England, Saturday, 12pm at the DAM Health Stadium. Live on BBC2.