The old saying goes that a change is as good as a rest and for Scotland cap Chloe Rollie the change of club to Trailfinders was just what she needed.
Rollie, now 29, has always been a player who has played with a spring in her step and had a zip to her play ever since she brought onto the international scene with the Scots in 2015.
From full-back she is the kind of player that supporters want to pay to watch and who gets them on the edge of their seats.
A batch of niggling injuries over the last couple of years have not helped her, but since the September Tests and then WXV 2 in South Africa with Scotland late last year followed by the ongoing condensed PWR campaign with the Trailfinders, Rollie has looked back to her best.
“I think when I am enjoying my rugby and playing with a smile on my face then I play my best stuff and I have been loving the last few months,” the Jedburgh native who has scored 25 tries for her country said.
“The move to Trailfinders was about me finding an environment where I felt like I could be myself on and off the pitch and it has definitely been the right move for me at this stage of my career.
“I had a bit of a reset before the September Tests and WXV 2 and after coming back from South Africa I was ready to hit the ground running with Trailfinders and everybody was so welcoming from day one.
“There are players here from all over the world and all different backgrounds, some are full-time rugby players and some have jobs out with rugby and I think the different outlooks we all bring to things has made us into a really tight knight unit who enjoy playing for each other.
“I have learnt a lot from players and people at the club in the last few months and it has given me a fresh perspective on a few things and left me feeling in a good place.
“We also like to play an entertaining and expansive brand of rugby and when things are ‘on’ the coaches encourage us to have a go.
“That is how I like to play my rugby and how I feel I can add value to any team that I am part of.
“You only need to look at the Bristol match [when they defeated last year’s PWR finalists 39-38 at Trailfinders Sports Club on January 25] to see how we can play going forward when we all click and we are looking forward to having a good ending to the regular season.”
Trailfinders are also helping Rollie get experience with refereeing and helping her get a platform ready for when her playing career comes to an end further down the line which is really helpful.
However, helpful for the rest of us is that Rollie’s playing days are no where near yet over as yet and she is in great form with the Guinness Women’s Six Nations starting on March 22 and then the Rugby World Cup to come in England in August and September.
She is now in the top 10 of Scotland’s all-time capped female players.
Cap number 10 Donna Kennedy leads the way with 115 caps followed by Heather Lockhart (cap number 103, 89 caps), Karen Findlay (cap number 40, 86 caps), Lee Cockburn (cap number five, 77 caps), Paula Chalmers (cap number 43, 77 caps), Beth Macleod (cap number 45, 76 caps), Lana Skeldon (cap number 160, 74 caps), Rollie (cap number 189, 70 caps), Louise Dalgliesh (cap number 92, 67 caps) and Emma Wassell (cap number 173, 67 caps).
“It kind of crept up on me to get to 70 and whenever people ask me how many caps I have I have to remind myself, but being at that number and being in the Scottish top 10 is an honour,” Rollie said.
“Now going forward with the number of Tests we play maybe 100 is not so unachievable now. That would be something special, but for now all I am thinking about is ending the league season with Trailfinders well in the next few weeks and then resetting again ahead of a Six Nations campaign with Scotland, if selected.”
When Rollie’s international career began a decade ago, Scotland were playing their home matches at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld in front of smallish crowds.
Last year over 7,000 people packed out a sold out Hive Stadium in Edinburgh to watch them play England and Rollie said: “The difference is like night and day.
“It shows how far women’s rugby in general has come, but it also shows how far our Scotland team has come and it is so good meeting all of the young fans at the Hive walkway before and after the games.
“And the great thing is the crowds seem to be growing and growing all the time while I feel that the Scotland squad still has a lot of exciting growth to come so I’m excited about a busy 2025.”
Thanks to Trailfinders for the photo of Chloe Rollie
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