Gary Heatly in Manchester
Scotland winger Rhona Lloyd believes the squad have set a new bar for themselves after qualifying for the Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-finals – and now she wants them to kick on even further.
Winger Lloyd, 28, now has 27 tries to her name at international level following two against Fiji at the weekend, putting her ahead of team mate Chloe Rollie (26) into third in Scotland women’s all time list behind just Lucy Millard (37) and Donna Kennedy (29).
More importantly, the two tries helped her side battle past a dogged Fijian outfit 29-15 with a bonus point in the Pool B clash at the Salford Community Stadium in Manchester.
They are currently second in the pool behind Canada, who have also made it to the knock-out stages, and who tops the section after three games will be decided when the two teams meet in Exeter on Saturday.
Second in the world Canada will be favourites in that one, but if sixth in the world Scotland can cause an upset then they would avoid tournament favourites England in the last eight and would play Australia or USA.
And Lloyd is certainly feeling good moving forward.
“Making sure of a quarter-final spot was something that we did speak about, but now that we have managed to do it it’ll take time to sink in,” Lloyd said.
“It is such an immense feeling and such a feat for rugby in Scotland, especially women’s rugby in Scotland.
“I am absolutely buzzing. It’s been a massive aim of Scotland to get to these quarter-finals and as somebody who played in the last World Cup when we didn’t achieve that, it honestly means the world to have ticked that off and secured.
“We have set a new bar for ourselves now and we want to kick on from here. We respect Canada and know what a good side they are, but now we will refocus and do our best to finish top of the pool when we play them in Exeter on Saturday.”
Whilst admitting that the performance against Fiji was not perfect, Lloyd praised the resilience and defensive work of the squad to get the job done.
And the new Sale Sharks signing also praised the Scottish support who had travelled to cheer them on.
“Oh, the atmosphere has been insane, not just this time, but last time when we played Wales,” she stated.
“Both games have felt like home games which has meant the absolute world to us.
“The travelling support has been amazing, and it feels like, in general across the competition, that there’s so much excitement for women’s rugby and so many people celebrating the game. I have been getting selfies with people in Welsh tops, English tops, Canadian tops, Scottish tops, you name it, the vibe is so good.
“It’s a very exciting time for women’s rugby and it’s a very exciting time for Scotland.
“I feel so unbelievably proud. We want to inspire the next generation of players in Scotland.
“There’s a lot to improve on going forward, but we know what we are capable of and now all of us will be putting everything into the Canada game before we think about the last eight.”
The Scotland squad travel to Exeter on Monday and, after the Canada game, will move to Bristol for a quarter-final on either September 13 or 14.
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.
Rhona Lloyd is pictured against Fiji – 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.