Scotland skipper Rachel Malcolm was proud of how the team did in La Rochelle, but knows that the team have to keep up the intensity for 80 minutes against the best teams like France if they are to compete with them.
Eventually the Scots went down 38-15 in a sold out Stade Marcel-Deflandre in round two of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations on Saturday. Highlights and details can be found here.
“At half-time we had a real energy about us, but then there was a kind of 15 to 20 minute spell in the second half when France really turned it on and we didn’t really react,” the back-rower said.
“I think we showed at times during the game that we can compete against the best, but we also showed that if we don’t concentrate and keep our intensity for 80 plus minutes then the best teams will punish us and that is what they did.
“I am super proud of the effort. To keep on going and to show that heart and score right at the death, well I think that shows what we are all about.”
Scotland have now won one and lost one in this year’s competition and the players will have a few days off before returning to their Oriam training base in the week commencing April 7 to prepare for round three at home to Italy at Hive Stadium on April 13.
A trip to England follows up quickly on April 19 before a final game at home to Ireland on April 26.
“I think we will have a big rest after this, I think bodies are pretty beaten up, but we can take a huge amount of confidence from what we are creating here,” the 33-year-old skipper added.
“There are elements of our game we can look at from this one, I don’t think we were at 100 percent in terms of accuracy, but in terms of heart, character and effort, the things that can’t be coached, we were at 100 percent.
“There are definitely bits we can fix and we are really excited to get back to the Hive in couple of weeks because this has just got us hungrier for what we want to achieve in this tournament.”
Head coach Bryan Easson was left frustrated after the match with certain parts of the game, three tries in six second half minutes in particular from France taking the game away from the visitors.
“The post match feeling is frustration more than anything because at times it was there for us,” Easson said.
“I thought generally the fight, the attitude and everything that we put in was excellent. There was a couple of times where we didn’t get the bounce of the ball, there were a couple of frustrations inside the ‘gold zone’ and we can probably let them off a little bit at times.
“We’ll need to look it back again, but when we got our launch plays going against Wales we kept putting them under pressure, but we just didn’t get the opportunity to do that this time around.
“We can take a lot into Italy in two weeks’ time though.”
Easson confirmed that second-row Hollie Cunningham, who went off after 66 seconds, has a hamstring injury that will be assessed.
Scotland squad that played France: Chloe Rollie; Rhona Lloyd, Emma Orr, Lisa Thomson, Francesca McGhie; Helen Nelson, Leia Brebner-Holden; Anne Young, Lana Skeldon, Elliann Clarke, Hollie Cunningham, Sarah Bonar, Rachel Malcolm (C), Rachel McLachlan, Jade Konkel. Subs: Elis Martin, Leah Bartlett, Molly Poolman, Adelle Ferrie, Becky Boyd, Alex Stewart, Caity Mattinson, Evie Wills.
The Guinness Women’s Six Nations runs from March 22 to April 26 and, next up, Scotland are at Hive Stadium in round three versus Italy on April 13 – get tickets for the two Scotland remaining home games here.
Rachel Malcolm is pictured arriving at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre – thanks to Scottish Rugby
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