Elis Martin had to deal with drama before the 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand – and she has revealed how she dealt with more drama this week before being named in the 32-strong squad for the 2025 version.
The event in England runs from August 22 to September 27 and the Scotland pool matches are against Wales in Manchester on August 23, Fiji in Manchester on August 30 and Canada in Exeter on September 6.
On Thursday the Scotland squad was named in St Andrews and Loughborough Lightning hooker Martin, 26, was selected, but was in a protective boot and on crutches for the media duties and photographs.
Back in 2022, Martin made her international debut versus USA and then soon after missed out on selection for the World Cup squad that would be heading out to New Zealand.
Martin was naturally disappointed and headed off to Ireland for a break, but when she returned head coach Bryan Easson called her to say that Evie Gallagher was injured and she had been added to the squad.
As a result, this will be the now 22-front-rower’s second World Cup experience, but for a few hours on Monday she thought that her dreams of being selected this time around had gone due to a foot injury.
“I tore my plantar fascia against Ireland last weekend and I did get a call to say I wasn’t going to go [to the World Cup] from our physio [Florence Laing] at noon on Monday,” Martin said.
“We’d had a scan at 11am and my medial plantar fascia bundle was completely torn off the bone.
“And then at 5pm we went to see a surgeon – because we thought I was going to get surgery – and he said ‘crazy news, when people have extremely bad plantar fasciitis we actually cut that bundle as a treatment and your body has just kind of done that for you’.
“So, usually, they [those types of injuries] have six weeks to recover. But if you can tolerate the pain, you can probably play.
“So, we’re just trying to manage the pain by not putting any weight on it for the next few days and then we’ll return to running and hopefully be able to play.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind couple of days, to be fair. It all happened within a few hours, but I think we’ll be fine for Wales.”
By her own admission, Martin, the Hillhead Jordanhill and Edinburgh University product, is “a bit of a doer of things” so in the five hours between the call and then the U-turn she kept herself busy.
“I planned a shirt presentation, I’d found somewhere to stay, I’d nearly booked trains down to the games,” she said, imagining that her role was going to be as supporter and not as player.
“I decided I was going to braid everyone’s hair anyway and come the night before the first game. I had phoned all the people I needed to sort things out with.
“So I hadn’t really had time to have emotions. I just sort of got stuff done. And then the emotion probably hit me on Wednesday when I saw everyone and I was like ‘Oh my God’ and just started crying. Everyone has been very supportive and very friendly.”
If she is fit for the Wales game on August 23 then thar would be a big boost because fellow hooker Lana Skeldon is also battling back to fitness.
They are the only two out-and-out hookers in the squad and, if one of them does not make it, then loosehead prop/hooker Molly Wright will likely cover. If they both miss it and the injuries are worse than currently feared then the uncapped Aila Ronald would likely be called up as a replacement.
The squad, the backroom staff and families had a send off event in St Andrews on Thursday evening They will next meet up in Edinburgh next Thursday before travelling to Manchester on the Friday.
Scotland Women’s Rugby World Cup squad
Forwards: Leah Bartlett, Becky Boyd, Sarah Bonar, Elliann Clarke, Lisa Cockburn, Eva Donaldson, Evie Gallagher, Adelle Ferrie, Jade Konkel, Rachel Malcolm (C), Elis Martin, Rachel McLachlan, Molly Poolman, Lana Skeldon, Alex Stewart, Emma Wassell, Molly Wright, Anne Young.
Backs: Leia Brebner-Holden, Beth Blacklock, Rhea Clarke, Coreen Grant, Rhona Lloyd, Caity Mattinson, Francesca McGhie, Helen Nelson, Emma Orr, Hannah Ramsay, Chloe Rollie, Lisa Thomson, Hannah Walker, Evie Wills.
Elis Martin is pictured at the squad announcement – thanks to N50 Photography
From August 7 until September 30, GH Media will be following the Scotland World Cup journey all of the way. We will be at all of the Scotland matches down south and will be bringing you all of the interviews and news from camp as well as taking a wider look at the tournament as a whole and its impact on the women’s game. Thanks to Quirky Chocolate and other supporters for allowing this content to happen and to readers for engaging with it.