Scotland’s players and backroom staff first met up for ‘the 14 month journey’ through the 2024/25 season and up to Rugby World Cup 2025 in England on July 29.
They had four weeks of pre-season at their Oriam base on the outskirts of Edinburgh, then a week off before Test match weeks in Edinburgh against Wales and Fiji in the Vodafone Series.
They saw off Wales 40-14 at Hive Stadium and then Fiji 59-15 at the same venue before travelling to South Africa for their WXV 2 title defence.
In Cape Town they defeated Italy 19-0 and then Japan 19-13 before losing the decider to Australia 31-22 in the title decider. They did qualify for Rugby World Cup 2025 though.
As the squad arrive home today [Monday, October 14] here’s GH Media’s very unofficial awards covering the Vodafone Series and WXV 2 period…
Scotland’s forward of the Vodafone Series and WXV 2: Anne Young
Captain Rachel Malcolm performed consistently throughout as did hooker Lana Skeldon and No.8 Evie Gallagher, but the Scotland career of Anne Young has taken a big step forward in recent weeks and she gets the award.
The 24-year-old loosehead prop, who now has 15 caps to her name, came off the bench versus Wales, started versus Fiji and Italy and then came off the bench versus Japan and Australia and her ball carrying an work around the part was excellent as was her scrummaging.
She seems a more confident player now and, after scoring her first international try versus Australia, will now be joining up with new club Loughborough Lightning.
Scotland’s back(s) of the Vodafone Series and WXV 2: Chloe Rollie and Francesca McGhie
Meryl Smith could feel hard done by here because she was excellent throughout, but not being picked to start the final game versus Australia has just counted against her. Scotland’s attack is definitely sharper now than it was a year ago so back three players Chloe Rollie and Francesca McGhie share this award.
They both scored two tries against Wales and then followed it up with one apiece versus Fiji. Full-back Rollie scored one against Italy, winger McGhie one against Japan and then they both scored versus Australia to give them five each for this period.
Rollie, the 29-year-old who is off to Ealing Trailfinders now, has 25 tries from 70 caps while McGhie, the 21-year-old Leicester Tiger, has eight from 17 caps.
Scotland’s young player of the Vodafone Series and WXV 2: Leia Brebner-Holden
If this period has been a breakthrough of sorts for Anne Young, it has most certainly been a breakthrough for Leia Brebner-Holden. The 22-year-old scrum-half got close to the matchday 23 during the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, but had to bide her time.
She made her debut off the bench against Wales and brough a pace and passing game to proceedings that impressed many. She then earned three more caps off the bench before starting versus Australia. She is linked with Cheltenham Tigers and Gloucester-Hartpury and it’ll be interesting to see if she gets game time for the latter now.
Mention too for young full-back Lucia Scott, 20, who earned her first three caps off the bench and scored a try versus Fiji.
Scotland’s unsung hero(es) of the Vodafone Series and WXV 2: Emma Wassell and Ellen Dickson
It was a shock to everyone who follows Scotland women’s rugby when it was announced between the Wales and Fiji games that second-row Emma Wassell was going to miss the WXV 2 trip due to a tumour in her chest. She stayed with the group before that game to act as assistant team manager to Ellen Dickson.
Since then she has shown immense strength and the players out in Cape Town were playing for her and we hope to see her back in a Scotland shirt at some point.
And the aforementioned Ellen Dickson, the team manager and former player herself, deserves plaudits. She is always there for the squad and, as captain Rachel Malcolm said recently, “she has been by my side through every wave, whilst quite literally being the glue that holds the ship together”.
Scotland’s moment to make everyone smile during the Vodafone Series and WXV 2: Rachel Malcolm reaching 50 caps and her family being there
It would have been nice for the skipper to have reached the milestone at Hive Stadium, but it came at the iconic DHL Stadium by the Cape Town waterfront against Italy.
Rachel Malcolm only took up the sport post-hockey in 2015, but by 2016 was capped and has been involved ever since and has led the side over 40 times. If Ellen Dickson is the glue off the pitch then Malcolm, 33, comes a close second while, on the pitch, she leads by example and never takes a backwards step.
After the Italy match it was so good that members of her family were able to go into the dressing room for the presentation of the cap and dad Walter presented it to her after some nice words by vice-captain Helen Nelson and it was a really nice moment.
GH Media will be covering Scotland women’s journey right through to Rugby World Cup 2025, bringing insight from within the camp throughout and featuring other parts of the game in this country too – thanks to those already supporting the content, if you or your company would like to get involved please email gary@gh-media.co.uk