They say that good things come to those who wait – and for Evie Wills the wait is over.
The 24-year-old stand-off/centre was part of the Scotland squad at Rugby World Cup 2022 in New Zealand having previously earned three caps against Italy, Japan and Colombia.
She was then awarded a full-time Scottish Rugby contract before the Stirling County product took time out to finish off her nursing degree at Glasgow Caledonian University.
A move from Hillhead Jordanhill to Leicester Tigers in England’s top flight came in the summer of 2023 before disaster struck when she suffered an ACL injury in training that August.
A full year out meant that she missed her whole first season with Leicester as well as the 2024 Six Nations and 2023 and 2024 WXV 2 tournaments with her country too.
Given the serious knee injury she had the amount of minutes Wills played for the Tigers in the condensed 2024/25 regular season campaign just gone was remarkable and now she is delighted to be back with Scotland ahead of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations coming up.
“It’s super fun to be back,” she said.
“Obviously this is not my first exposure to this level, but it’s so fun after so long away. You just slide back in with the same kind of group of girls, obviously a few youngsters, but it’s been really good.
“I’ve missed it so much. It’s just good to be back.
“I think with an injury like I had when you are out for so long, I was very good with myself and said ‘just take it in little steps’.
“So I never thought ‘gosh, I can’t walk now. I wonder if I’ll ever play for Scotland again’, I was very good at taking small wins every single week, because with an injury that long, there are little wins all the time.
“It’s not been hard [watching Scotland do good things without her] because I always want the best for them and it’s never hard because I still felt a little bit involved in that.
“I was supporting them no matter what they were doing and I hoped it was vice versa when I was doing my rehab.
“The girls have been doing great and now we want to have a great 2025 and I hope I can play my part.”
And, off the back of her brilliant PWR campaign, Wills believes she is coming back into the international fray a better player than the one that left it two-and-a-half years ago.
“I think once I got into the actual season I started to think, ‘Okay, I’m actually a better rugby player now than I was pre-ACL’,” she stated.
“Coming up to Scotland squad selection I thought there was nothing more I could have done, I’d played so much rugby. If they [the Scotland coaches] liked what they seen then that would be great.
“I think [working on things] mentally during my rehab has made me a better player now.
“I think when you’re out of the sport for so long, you get so hungry to get back and play again and you would do anything to get back on the pitch.
“I had to learn to walk again, had to learn to run again and you break down every single movement and that propels you forward.
“You’re in the gym every single day almost, so you get so much stronger.
“I’m faster, fitter, stronger than I was before, which is so nice.
“I feel like a new player now, so I feel like if I play in the upcoming tournament it’ll be almost like getting my first cap again because I’m a totally different player to who I was for my first three caps, I do think I’m better and I’m obviously older, more mature.
“I think I’ve played a lot of rugby in the last few months and you can’t replicate match scenarios in training, you can’t replicate match demands.
“So, [if cap number four does come] it’ll be big, not because of coming back from quite a big injury, but because I feel like a totally new player.”
Scotland will have three-day camps last week, this week and WC March 10 and then from WC March 17 it’ll be all eyes on – and full steam ahead – for the Guinness Women’s Six Nations 2025.
Everything this year is building up to the Rugby World Cup in England in August and September. The Six Nations runs until April 26.
Scotland women’s training squad (number of caps in brackets, uncapped players in bold)
Forwards
Leah Bartlett – Leicester Tigers (38)
Christine Belisle – Loughborough Lightning (40)
Becky Boyd – Loughborough Lightning (uncapped)
Sarah Bonar – Harlequins (42)
Elliann Clarke – Bristol Bears (15)
Hollie Cunningham – Bristol Bears (uncapped)
Evie Gallagher – Bristol Bears (31)
Adelle Ferrie – Edinburgh Rugby/Corstorphine Cougars (uncapped)
Jade Konkel – Harlequins (66)
Rachel Malcolm – Loughborough Lightning (52, C)
Elis Martin – Loughborough Lightning (15)
Rachel McLachlan – Montpellier (46)
Aila Ronald – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh (uncapped)
Molly Poolman – Edinburgh Rugby/Watsonians (uncapped)
Lana Skeldon – Bristol Bears (74)
Alex Stewart – Edinburgh Rugby/Corstorphine Cougars (8)
Anne Young – Loughborough Lightning (15)
Molly Wright – Sale Sharks (23)
Backs
Leia Brebner-Holden – Loughborough Lightning (5)
Beth Blacklock – Saracens (3)
Rhea Clarke – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh (uncapped)
Rhona Lloyd – Les Lionnes du Stade Bordelais (52)
Caity Mattinson – Trailfinders Women (27)
Francesca McGhie – Leicester Tigers (17)
Liz Musgrove – Trailfinders Women (18)
Helen Nelson – Loughborough Lightning (65, V-C)
Rachel Philipps – Sale Sharks – (uncapped)
Chloe Rollie – Trailfinders Women (70)
Lucia Scott – Edinburgh Rugby/Gloucester-Hartpury (3)
Emma Orr – Bristol Bears (24)
Lisa Thomson – Trailfinders Women (64)
Hannah Walker – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh (uncapped)
Evie Wills – Leicester Tigers (3)
Meg Varley – Bristol Bears (uncapped)
Day trainers invited into camp to support their development (all uncapped)
Forwards
Talei Tawake – Edinburgh Rugby/Watsonians
Holland Bogan – Glasgow Warriors/Stirling County
Natasha Logan – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh
Emily Coubrough – Glasgow Warriors/University of Edinburgh
Backs
Hannah Ramsay – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh
Poppy Mellanby – Glasgow Warriors/Biggar
Thanks to Leicester Tigers for the photo of Evie Wills
GH Media will be covering Scotland women’s journey right through to Rugby World Cup 2025, bringing insight from within the camp throughout and featuring other parts of the game in this country too – thanks to those already supporting the content, if you or your company would like to get involved please email gary@gh-media.co.uk