Malcolm: 'It's a fixture that always has that extra bit of emotion, exactly how you want to start'

Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm says there is “always that extra bit of emotion” when her charges take on Wales and she cannot wait to get the Sione Fukofuka era underway on Saturday when the sides meet in Cardiff in a tasty looking Women’s Six Nations round one match.

Jade Konkel, Lisa Cockburn, Caity Mattinson and Beth Blacklock have retired from this level of the game while Bryan Easson has move onto a new coaching post with the Netherlands and Australian Fukofuka is now heading up the programme with support from Ioan Cunningham and Dave Butcher.

A number of constants remain in the Scottish camp though such as key forwards Lana Skeldon and Emma Wassell, key backs Helen Nelson and Chloe Rollie, long-serving team manager Ellen Dickson and, of course, skipper Malcolm.

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Womens Six Nations

Wales Women

08:40

11 Apr 26

Scotland Women

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On the pitch in recent years the 34-year-old Trailfinders Women’s back-row has been a talismanic figure for this squad and has earned a great deal of respect for the way she has spoken up for women’s rugby and backed up her players off the pitch. None more so than last summer before, during and after the World Cup in England when contracting issues and Scottish Rugby’s handling of them cast a huge cloud over matters on the grass.

Steps have been taken by the governing body since then to improve things in that regard – “I think we’re part of the conversation now, there’s been positive steps taken forward,” the skipper said this week – and Malcolm now wants to do her talking on the field.

As the 2029 World Cup cycle begins, over 25,000 tickets have already been sold for next weekend’s Scotland-England clash at Scottish Gas Murrayfield and that is going to be some occasion, but for now Malcolm and co are fully focused on playing at another iconic venue in the shape of the Principality Stadium.

And, if minds needed sharpened, then Scotland-Wales clashes always bring the heat.

Scotland have won the last four games against Wales in all competitions and are sixth in the world ranking as opposed to the opposition’s 12th, but, make no mistake, this game will be a battle.

Before the recent Scottish purple patch, Wales won three in a row in this fixture and, ahead of the latest instalment in the rivalry, Malcolm, who will earn cap number 62, said: “I think it’s always fun to start the Six Nations against Wales.

“We’ve done it quite a few times now and it’s always a big match for us and for them. It’s tight, it goes both ways in terms of the scoreline and I think it’s a fixture that always has that extra bit of emotion which is exactly how you want to start the tournament.

“I think going up against a team that we probably deem as competition – and one that we can really compete against – is an exciting way to start this new era and this new cycle.

“We managed to find a good level against them at the World Cup [when Scotland won 38-8 last August] so this game will now be a good gauge to see where we’re at with this new group.

“When you play Wales you are always going to be in a fight, whether it be in the first minute or the 80th minute- it’s going to be a dogfight.

“Last year we had a pretty good idea of who was playing for them and what style they’d play, whereas this time – for them and for us – we probably don’t know. That’s exciting and it means you have a unique opportunity to focus on yourselves going into the game to give it everything you can in that space.

“Whatever happens I’ve no doubt there will be a lot of learnings off the back of this game so it is a brilliant contest for us to start with and one that we’re really excited about.”

Scotland are missing a number of important players for the match through injury with Anne Young, Sarah Bonar, Evie Gallagher and Lisa Thomson out injured longer-term and Rachel McLachlan and Francesca McGhie out short-term.

With that – and the start of this new four-year cycle – comes opportunity and 19-year-old number eight Emily Coubrough will make her debut from the start against Wales with 21-year-old Holland Bogan and 20-year-old Rianna Darroch primed to earn first caps from the bench along with the more experienced Demi Swann.

“The young ones coming into camp for the first time in recent weeks have been brilliant and have not shied away from a thing,” Malcolm enthused.

“I think if you were to come into training you wouldn’t necessarily be able to pick out the new from the old, other than a few extra wrinkles on some of us!

“The young ones have done a brilliant job of just diving in and also communicating with those of us who have been around a little bit longer to ask questions and learn as quickly as they can to get up to speed with ‘the Scotland way’ and how do we do things.

“I think one thing that has really impressed me is the physicality that they’ve brought to training. Us older ones are used to the way we train whereas traditionally younger players coming in for the first time have maybe had to adapt quickly.

“But I actually think the girls that have come in, in terms of the physicality level, have been exactly where they need to be.

“Seriously they’ve been phenomenal and I’m really excited for the opportunities that some of them will get during this tournament.”