Gary Heatly in Bristol
Emma Wassell and Evie Gallagher have been key parts of Scotland’s pack during the Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign.
And the second-rower and back-rower respectively will have to be on the mark again when the side take on England in the quarter-final at Bristol’s Ashton Gate (4pm, live on BBC One).
“We are so very aware of England’s class and how clinical they can be, but when you break it down to the individual players, most of us play with and against them week in, week out in the PWR,” 30-year-old Wassell, who now plays for Trailfinders Women and will be earning her 73rd cap, said.
“You know what you’re going to get and it’s about making sure that you can go toe to toe with the best.
“They are number one in the world for a reason. I think it’s not really about chasing the game, but making sure that we take those chances.
“There might not be lots of them so we are going to have to be extremely clinical.
“It’s been surreal for me to be back playing at this level and you sometimes forget about everything that has happened before [her surgery to remove a tumour and such like].
“I was lucky to play at one World Cup in 2022, I was lucky to make the squad for this World Cup and to now be in the quarter-finals is something I’m extremely grateful for, but something I know I’ve worked incredibly hard to get to. I think it’s just about doing myself and the team justice.”
For this game Gallagher has moved from No.8 to number seven and given that she plays her club rugby locally for Bristol Bears it is no surprise that she is excited about this one.
“I am really excited,” the 25-year-old who will be earning her 41st cap said.
“To take on the home nation in their own back yard in front of a sell out crowd at Ashton Gate, which is kind of like home for me, is just really exciting.
“I really like it at the stadium, the pitch itself is lovely.
“I’ve never had a sell out crowd for Bristol, but last season some of our home games there had pretty good numbers and it was so loud so I can’t imagine how loud it will be for this game.”
Her dad, Paul, passed when Gallagher was young, but she has a feeling of closeness to him.
“I like to think my passion comes from his passion and it’s a way to feel connected to him because I don’t have many memories. It’s always something I carry with me, which is really special,” she said.
“I actually brought one of his retro Scotland rugby shirts with me on this trip and I wore it for my first World Cup shirt presentation.
“It’s little things like that, that make me feel close to him.”
- The other quarter-final on Sunday is France-Ireland.
- The Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership continued this weekend.
Scotland squad to play England: Chloe Rollie; Rhona Lloyd, Emma Orr, Lisa Thomson, Francesca McGhie; Helen Nelson, Leia Brebner-Holden; Leah Bartlett, Lana Skeldon, Christine Belisle, Emma Wassell, Sarah Bonar, Rachel Malcolm (C), Evie Gallagher, Jade Konkel. Subs: Elis Martin, Molly Wright, Molly Poolman, Eva Donaldson, Rachel McLachlan, Alex Stewart, Caity Mattinson, Evie Wills.
The England matchday 23 is here.
Emma Wassell and Evie Gallagher are pictured – thanks to Ruby Adam 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.