The three impactful words behind the rise of Scotland tighthead Molly Poolman

Having a positive mental attitude is what has got exciting young tighthead prop Molly Poolman to where she is today. And if the 21-year-old member of Scotland’s 32-strong Women’s Rugby World Cup squad needs reminding of that over the next few weeks in England, then all she needs to do is look at her left arm because those three words are right there in the form of a tattoo.

Scotland’s players and staff met up in Edinburgh today (Thursday) and will travel south to Manchester on Friday as the build-up to their first Pool B match with Wales on August 23rd.

Six months ago, not many people would have expected Poolman, who began playing at Howe of Fife in Cupar and now turns out for Watsonians and Edinburgh Rugby, to have been in the Scotland squad for the big dance.

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

But with experienced tighthead Christine Belisle not in the picture just now, Poolman has become the backup number three to Elliann Clarke, and she has done a great job in her five caps so far after coming off the bench for a debut away to France during the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

“Positive mental attitude is something my dad has said to me ever since I was younger,” Poolman said.

“One time I asked him to write the message on a bit of paper because I was going away on a trip and I was like ‘you’re not coming and I want something with me from you’ because I’m very much a daddy’s girl.

“When I subsequently got the tattoo and showed my dad, the first thing he said was ‘that’s awful handwriting’ and I had to tell him that it was his handwriting as the tattoo had been copied from that note!

“Seriously though, the words mean a lot to me and I think they have helped me over the years whenever I have doubted that I could step up the levels and play for the likes of Edinburgh or Scotland.

“And whenever I look at the tattoo, I think of my dad Colin and my mum and my brothers because they have been my biggest supporters over the years and are always in the stands cheering me on.

“When it comes to World Cup selection, I don’t think I could ever come up with the right words to say how I feel about it,” she added.

“Obviously, I do believe it, but when we’re heading down to Manchester, I think it’ll really sink in.

“If you’d told me this time last year, when I’d just come out of ankle surgery, that I was going to be in this position, I would have laughed in your face, to be honest.

“I definitely would not have expected this journey, and I’m just very grateful for it all.”

As Poolman mentioned, last summer she had an ankle problem, prompting a rollercoaster 13 months for her.

She sustained that injury in the under-20 Six Nations Women’s Summer Series last July and then battled to get back in time to start for Edinburgh in their Celtic Challenge campaign that began in the middle of December.

She started the first two games, wins against Glasgow Warriors and Brython Thunder, before things were stopped in their tracks in early January when she was cited and handed a four-match ban.

After champing at the bit for a while, she was then back in action in time to play in the rematch against Glasgow in mid-February and then the three subsequent matches.

And those outings post-suspension clearly impressed Scotland head coach Bryan Easson because she was then called up to the Six Nations squad.

Poolman was not in the matchday 23 for the opening game against Wales, but she was on the bench for the second game with France in La Rochelle.

And her debut came 17 minutes into that contest when the aforementioned Elliann Clarke had to have a head injury assessment.

Clarke returned 10 minutes later before Poolman joined the fray again later at a sold-out Stade Marcel-Deflandre.

Given her debut was against one of the world’s top teams, with some of her family in attendance, as La Rochelle is a favoured family holiday destination, it was certainly a big day.

Now with five caps under her belt, she feels more at home at international level and added: “To be able to perform on the world stage is the best thing ever,” she admitted.

“As a tighthead prop, you learn every single time you play a match and from every single training session.

“I think it’s been great to have people like Elliann and Lisa [Cockburn] around and be able to learn from them.

“They’ve got a bit more experience with playing in the PWR, so I’m learning from them, but I definitely think I have grown as a player in the last few months.

“I am a bit more confident in myself as well and I really just cannot wait to be part of the whole World Cup experience while thinking about the words positive mental attitude the whole time.”