Many may see this weekend’s Women’s Six Nations clash with England at Murrayfield in front of a record crowd as a culmination of something, but Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm believes it is just a staging post to even bigger and better things.
Former hockey player Malcolm, now 34, made her international rugby debut in late 2016 and pretty much since then the hooker who has become a formidable back-row has been the heartbeat of this side.
With a crowd of around 30,000 expected to come through the gates on Saturday for this round two match (1.30pm, live on BBC) it is a ‘pinch me’ moment for many who have been involved in growing Scottish women’s rugby since the first Test in 1993 and even before that.
However, rather then be content with this milestone moment Trailfinders Women’s Malcolm, who will be earning a 63rd cap, said: “This is going to be an amazing occasion, but we’re not going to stop here.
“We are sixth in the world just now and we deserve to be here on a stage like this.
“We’ve put in performances and we’ve got results of late which have put us on the map in terms of women’s rugby, and that’s something we’re incredibly proud of.
“What we now need to do now is push on, keep improving those performances and keep getting bigger and bigger crowds to games.
“We’re seeing a massive development in our pathway currently with lots of young players coming through and I think the future is incredibly bright for Scotland women’s rugby,
“We need to keep pushing performances to allow us to be on a platform like this, to attract more women and girls into playing the game and also attract more people to come and want to watch us as well.
“In the last few years we’ve faced adversity on and off the pitch.
“Something that we pride ourselves on as a playing group is our ability to stick together in every moment, whether it’s a good one or a bad one.
“England are a phenomenal team and are at world number one and are world champions for a reason so we know it is going to be tough out there in this game.
“We know we’re going to be faced with tough moments and we know we’re going to have purple patches.
“And one thing you can always count on from this Scotland squad is that we will stick together and fight for everything for 80 plus minutes.”
- The other round two games see Wales play France at Cardiff Arms Park (3.35pm, live on BBC) and Ireland are hosting Italy at the Dexcom Stadium in Galway (5.40pm, live on BBC).
- Over 25,000 tickets have been sold for Scotland-England, join in the fun by getting tickets here – before the senior game at 1.30pm at Murrayfield the under-21 sides from both countries are meeting at Hive Stadium at 11am.
Rachel Malcolm is pictured at the team run on Friday – thanks to N50 Photography
The Women’s Six Nations is here and the 2026 event runs from April 11 to May 17 and, between April 6 and May 20, GH Media will be covering Scotland’s campaign and the wider tournament – keep an eye out for content and thanks to everyone who supports GH Media’s work within women’s rugby