‘I screamed so hard’: Aicha Sutcliffe hungry for more after try-scoring Scotland debut

During a tough Guinness Women’s Six Nations campaign for Scotland earlier in the year one of the plus points was the way that a small group of new players to the international scene handled the step up. Aicha Sutcliffe was one of them.

When regular first choice hooker Lana Skeldon picked up an injury midway through the tournament in April and May, deputy Elis Martin stepped up to start in rounds four and five.

Sutcliffe, 21, came onto the bench as a result and she made her debut versus France on May 9 at Edinburgh’s Hive Stadium, coming on in the 63rd minute and making an impact by scoring the try that earned the Scots a four-try bonus point from the 69-28 home reverse.

The Glasgow Warriors player – who is originally from the north of Scotland and who came through the ranks at Huntly, The Gordon Schools, Highland, Strathallan School and Stirling County – came on for cap number two versus Ireland in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin eight days later and scored a consolation try for the Scots as they went down 54-5.

Two caps and two tries so far then, and the future looks bright for Scotland cap #253 with WXV Global Series home Tests with Canada, New Zealand and Australia coming up in September and then two matches down under in October to follow.

“Although we lost in the end, I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better first cap than against France,” Sutcliffe, who has an academy contract with Scottish Rugby for 2026/27 and is in the 32-strong training squad ahead of the WXV action currently, stated.

“Coming on my first job was a lineout throw and I was a bit nervous about that. Then once I nailed that I could get into my flow and just play rugby.

“To score a try was just amazing, I screamed so hard as I put the ball down. There are photos of me scoring and when I saw them after the game I was like ‘My mouth has never opened wider’.

“Seriously though, when that try came, I was just so happy and it showed.”

Another person who was very happy at the time was her father who was watching on proudly from the stands with Sutcliffe adding: “My dad was very much my hype man when I was younger and he has followed my whole career to this point.

“He was buzzing when I saw him at the end of the France game, I think he shed a tear, he was proud.”

Fast forward a few months on from being thrust into the Test rugby during the same Six Nations as fellow newbies Emily Coubrough, Holland Bogan, Demi Swann and Rianna Darroch and Sutcliffe says she now feels more at ease now in the Scotland set up and cannot wait for the WXV Global Series campaign to get going under interim head coach Dave Butcher.

“I definitely feel a bit more at ease now because I was nervous at first coming into the squad before the Six Nations,” she explained.

“Suddenly I was training with people who I’d watched on television, but everyone here is nice and it is easy to get along with everyone.

“I think pushing to get a Scotland cap was always in the back of my mind.

“I had people telling me I was doing good and could have potential and I would say Scotland Under-20s was probably my turning point because I started to get to play more and then I was like ‘Oh, maybe I could go further’.

“And then I get the call up before the Six Nations and I was like ‘Wow, hey, it’s happening’ and it was just a cool moment.”

Sutcliffe will be happy again if she can add to her two caps during the next two months, but she knows that Scotland will have to be better collectively than they were in the one-win Women’s Six Nations to compete against some of the world’s best teams.

World number three side Canada are first up at the Hive on September 12 and Sutcliffe said: “100 per cent we know we need to improve, but to be the best you’ve got to play the best.

“We’re really just working hard to get ready for playing the best and we want to play our best brand of rugby as well when those games come around in a few weeks.”

As well as working with a new Scotland coaching team in recent weeks during pre-season following Sione Fukofuka’s summer departure, Sutcliffe has also been working with new rugby balls.

World Rugby’s new size 4.5 balls – about three percent smaller but the same weight as a regulation size 5 – will be trialled during the WXV Global Series competition window and Sutcliffe stated: “We have been training with them and I feel like I’ve adjusted quite well now.

“I can feel the difference, the new ball is a bit smaller and I feel like the size 5s are chunkier in a sense, the 4.5s feel different in my hand.

“When I throw the ball [into a lineout], I feel like it [the 4.5 size ball] zips a bit better.”