They say that good things come to those who wait and Beth Blacklock’s patience has certainly paid off.
The Saracens centre, who can also play 10, won her first three Scotland caps during the 2023 Six Nations, but then had to wait over two years for cap number four off the bench against Ireland in the recent Summer Test.
She has often been in and around the set up during the time between cap number three and four and clearly did well and impressed during the summer training period because, last Thursday, she was named in the 32-strong Women’s Rugby World Cup squad.
“It was incredible to be back on the pitch for Scotland against Ireland,” the 27-year-old who grew up on Mersea Island in Essex and who qualifies to wear the thistle via her mum’s family connections, said.
“I got to have the honour of walking the team off the bus with the rugby ball [from Scotland women’s first ever Test in 1993] And when Rachel [Malcolm] and Bryan [Easson] presented that to me the tears were coming.
“It was incredible. It’s been a very long journey and it’s been one of those ones that you have to push through a lot.
“A lot of people never realise the mental strain behind professional sport, especially when it comes to injury, but also not being selected and other things.
“It’s one of those things, you know it’s the dream and you have to keep pushing and pushing and pushing. And I think to be selected to go to the World Cup, that was something that I was thinking ‘wow, that would be amazing’.
“Every single time you get selected it’s a dream come true, no matter if it’s the first time or the 50th or 100th time.”
When she was growing up on the aforementioned Mersea Island, Blacklock was taken to the local rugby club in Colchester to get involved with the Minis, but her and her sister decided to give rugby up after a while and tried other sports.
These included football, cricket, sailing and swimming through her teens and it was not until she headed north to Durham for university that rugby came back into her life alongside fellow World Cup squad member and good friend Coreen Grant.
Stints at DMP Sharks and Harlequins followed before her move to Saracens and with the World Cup being in England she is excited to see just how big the event is going to be off the back of the recent Women’s Euros in football held in Switzerland which England won.
“I did watch the Euros and I’m a big fan of women’s sport in general, it’s always fantastic to see the development of women’s sport no matter what sport it is,” she stated.
“It was brilliant watching the Euros. Some part of me was like ‘oh, I loved playing that’, and I played with a few of the [England Lionesses girls] when they were younger and against them and things. [England captain] Leah Williamson was at Arsenal when we were growing up playing against us at county level and things.
“They’re fantastic athletes, but we’re very, very different athletes, so I think I’m definitely a lot more built for rugby, the same way they would probably look at rugby and go ‘no, football it is for me’.
“This World Cup has the potential to be huge and I am just excited to be a part of it.”
The World Cup event 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.
The Scotland squad will next meet up in Edinburgh on Thursday before travelling to Manchester on Friday.
- The Wales squad has been named meaning all Pool B squads are confirmed ahead of the World Cup.
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.
Beth Blacklock 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.