Smith ready to retake place in 'exciting' Scotland team

Meryl Smith‘s wait to get back into a Scotland jersey has been a bit longer than some of her international teammates.

The Bristol Bears back sustained an ACL injury at the end of 2024. That injury meant that the 24-year-old missed the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Since she made her return to the pitch in February, Smith has quickly recaptured the form that allowed the playmaker to be a Test rugby regular under Bryan Easson.

Now she is back in camp with Sione Fukofuka as the team’s head coach. There is also the matter of a a Guinness Women’s Six Nations opener against Wales at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium around the corner too.

“Coming back in with the team, there have been a lot of changes with coaching and the management team and lots of players coming in, which is really exciting,” Smith told Scottish Rugby.

“It’s almost like it’s a fresh start, which is nice and it’s just about trying to find my place in the squad again. It’s really competitive, so I’m just trying to gel with everyone and the coaches.

“Missing out on the World Cup was tough and it was hard to watch the girls from a distance, but it was really exciting to watch them and I was so proud to see how well they did.

“To be back in and to build on all of that is really exciting. I feel like I’ve got a fresh perspective having watched the team, and just have this eagerness and hunger.

“After not being involved for so long, now I’m working extra hard to get back and to be in the squad.”

In Round 2, Scotland have a record breaking day at Scottish Gas Murrayfield to look forward to when England’s Red Roses roll into Edinburgh.

Already the fixture is poised to be the best-attended standalone women’s sports event in Scottish history with over 19,000 tickets sold for the clash.

Scotland will be out for a little bit of Women’s Rugby World Cup revenge against the team that dispatched them in the quarter-finals.

Already under their new head coach, as well as assistants Ioan Cunningham and Dave Butcher, it is clear that their culture is where it needs to be before a ball is kicked.

“The culture that we have is so good,” Smith said. “Everyone is trying to be better themselves and to improve as a team. We all just want the best for the team. We’re all learning new things.

“We’re helping each other along the way, and making sure we have that competitiveness and drive to push the team on.”