Scotland have lost their last nine matches, and they have been handed the toughest possible start to their TikTok Women’s Six Nations campaign when they take on World Cup runners-up England this afternoon at Kingston Park in Newcastle.
In such circumstances, you might expect the squad to be approaching the game in a downbeat mood, but instead they are in a very positive frame of mind thanks to the issuing of professional contracts.
Individuals have had pro deals before, and the team that went to last year’s World Cup had short-term agreements. But now, for the first time going into a Six Nations, 28 players have proper professional standing – and the difference is already in evidence, according to lock forward Louise McMillan.
“Being professional has completely changed this squad,” said the forward, who used to combine playing with studying for a law degree at Glasgow University, but this season moved south to join Saracens as a full-time rugby player. “We want to prove to everyone how much these contracts are making a difference; hopefully the more support you put into us, the better we’ll play. That’s something we’re really passionate about showing.
“It’s completely changed my life. Everyone at Saracens knows me as the happiest, bubbliest girl, and I always like to say to them ‘When I was working, I was not like this at all’.”
Chasms cannot be bridged in a day, and, having only gone professional in December, Scotland are unlikely to get close to pulling off an upset against opponents who are world-ranked No 1, nine places above them. But they know they are capable of putting in a more competitive performance this afternoon than they managed last year, when they lost 57-5 at home. And the better they play – even if they end up losing – the more encouragement they will take into next week’s more winnable game in Edinburgh against Wales.
“With the big losses we’ve had, the issue was not just we were playing and losing, we were playing quite badly,” McMillan added. “So this season we’ve spoken about putting in a performance that we’re proud of, and if you’re on the wrong side of a result, you can be proud of the way you’ve played.”
In that context, a 10th successive defeat will not be deemed a disaster as long as the away side prove that they are indeed closer to competing on a level playing field. Sooner rather than later, though, they will need to prove that those contracts can pay dividends, by turning performances they can be proud of into actual victories.
