‘Support us’ – players criticise Scottish Rugby after World Cup exit

Scotland forward Jade Konkel departed the international scene with fierce criticism of Scottish Rugby as she cited a lack of “help” given to her and her team-mates throughout the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Konkel’s plan to retire after the World Cup was announced last week and the 31-year-old’s Scotland career came to an end with a 40-8 quarter-final defeat by England on Sunday.

It was a decision she called “one of the hardest things” she’d ever done.

“It’s been a tough couple of months with all of us getting bombshells dropped on us right before a World Cup, which is not the best prep,” she said.

Konkel, who plays club rugby in England for Harlequins, is one of many in Scotland’s 32-player World Cup squad who has not been offered a new contract by the union.

It is a saga that began to rumble a few months before the tournament.

Furthermore, it was announced in July that head coach Bryan Easson would leave his role at the end of Scotland’s campaign.

“They’ve made our build-up to this really challenging, mentally and emotionally,” Konkel said. “We appreciate the long-term plan, but the timing of it was less than ideal. People were doing job interviews and worrying about what they’d be doing post-tournament.

“I myself wasn’t offered a contract and I want to finish on my terms. If I could play longer, I’d have loved to have played longer.

“I’ve come off the back of an incredible Quins season, getting player of the year. I feel I’ve got a lot to give in my performances.”

Asked if she had a message for Scottish Rugby, Konkel said: “Respect us. Know that this is a programme that we pour our life into.

Before the tournament began, Scottish Rugby said developing the women’s game, with elite home-grown players “eventually” representing Scottish clubs rather than moving elsewhere, was a key priority.

It said that this would “involve a period of transition and change requiring some different contract options and decisions for players”.

In the immediate aftermath of the loss to England in Bristol, captain Rachel Malcolm asked the governing body in Scotland “just to listen”.

“We know this game better than anyone, we’re a part of this thing and we all want the same thing,” Malcolm told BBC Sport. “We want to push Scotland women forward, we want to be a part of Scottish rugby, and we want to work together to compete with the likes of England.”

Those words were echoed by many of her team-mates, including Rachel McLachlan, who said it was “incredibly frustrating not being supported,” while confirming she is “one of the lucky few” who had been given a new contract.

“Just support us, and support women’s rugby,” McLachlan said. “That’s all we ask for. We want to be the best in the world, we want to win these tough games and to do that, we need support.”

Fellow back-rower Evie Gallagher had a similar sentiment from what she wants from the union.

“Respect us as a group,” she said. “We’re all passionate about Scotland and rugby in Scotland. We’re all fighting our own battle individually and this squad is so special.

“We’ve shown that with the things we’ve done over the last few years – WXV2, the quarter-final. We are a group that earned our place and I think we deserve to be supported, whatever that looks like.”