Our national team came up just short in the Rugby World Cup ... but ON THE ROAD visits West of Scotland Ladies and finds the women's game is still growing

West of Scotland Ladies 46 Hillhead/Jordanhill Ladies 19

The march towards the very top of the world can start in the shadow of a supermarket.

The green sign of Waitrose now hangs next to Burnbrae, but the rugby ground has always been a proving ground for rugby greats at West of Scotland.

The lounge bar in the clubhouse, a short stroll from the grandstand, carries reminders of past heroes. Sitting underneath photographs of internationalists past and present, Neil Scobie, honorary secretary, women’s team manager, and occasional line judge, gives a brief history of West of Scotland Ladies.

One of the pictures shows Alexander Robertson, who played in the first men's international in 1871. He was the pioneer on a trail that has encompassed such as Gordon Brown, Matt Duncan, David Leslie and Sandy Carmichael. ‘Sandy was the first ladies manager here,’ says Scobie. ‘He ended up marrying one of the players.’

This was during the first era of the team that was revived in 2017. ‘We now, of course, have another international,’ says Scobie. A photograph of Rachel McLachlan is the last in a long line that runs across two walls.

As West of Scotland Ladies were defeating their Hillhead/Jordanhill in an entertaining, flowing match, McLachlan was toiling womanfully against a rampant England in the quarter-final of the World Cup at Ashton Gate.

McLachlan, of course, moved quickly from Burnbrae but she is well remembered in this patch of East Dunbartonshire.

Scobie – and the entire club - watch the rise of McLachlan with deep satisfaction. He also knows players move on. ‘We lost three players to New Zealand last season,’ says Scobie. This was not a nod to a recruitment raid by the All Blacks but to the pull of the health service in the other end of the world.

‘This team started with a close connection to Glasgow Caledonian University,’ adds Scobie. ‘Players who left the uni wanted to play on and that was the creation of the present incarnation. Therefore, so many of the players are physiotherapists or nurses. Opportunities for the players came up in New Zealand so they have emigrated.’

Those who stayed are a vibrant, enthusiastic and talented bunch. ‘I sit at the front of the bus with my headphones on,’ says Scobie. ‘Women’s team buses are worse than the guys. But they are a great bunch. They have been successful, too. They have been to Murrayfield twice in finals.’

The level of player is rising and so are the numbers. There may be scope for a second team in the future. All types are attracted to the oval ball.

‘We had a ballet dancer here,’ says Scobie. ‘That would be the ambition here, to grow the teams and to ensure that we maintain the proper environment for them. They all enjoy it now.’

This was evident during a vibrant display but also in the huddles pre and post-match. It was also obvious in conversations with coaches and players.

Gavin McGreish, the team coach, came into the women’s set-up after a successful spell with the under-18 men’s team. He was initially asked to help out but became fully involved after a coach had to take time away from the sport because of family duties.

‘I fell in love with the rugby the women were playing,’ he says. He has encouraged this style. His team plays running rugby with the ball in the hand with both speed and strength in the side.

‘They are a very coachable bunch,‘ he says. ‘They are all relatively new to the game and have so much enthusiasm. They all really engage with the game. I coach women at Glasgow University and they are exactly the same. There seems to be a hunger with all of them and it seems all about the team and the community.’

McGreish maintains that titles and cups are not his priority. ‘Personally, my ambition is to grow the numbers, perhaps eventually have two teams. It is great to see people enjoying their rugby.’

This is obvious on the face of Amber Johnston, who is the lead contact of women’s rugby and also membership secretary for the club. She also plays with vim and vigour at full-back.

‘I love the team aspect of it,’ she says just before kick-off. ‘I moved here from Aberdeenshire and all my closest pals are here now. I have become much more involved in the club.’

She had never played rugby before turning 23, though she had played football at university. ‘I think there is a misconception about how physical rugby is. Yes, it’s a contact sport but with the right training and fitness it’s no more injury prone than other sports.’

Indeed, the most severe injury of the day is incurred by the referee who has to leave the field at half-time because of an injury to his calf. A substitute referee whistles down the road from Bishopbriggs and the game goes on in front of a support that had a big constituency of youngsters.

‘I didn’t have any personal ambitions,’ says Johnston. ‘But I would love the club to grow, especially on the women’s side. We once had to scrape a team together but that is no longer the case.’

Both Natasha Burge and Jade Scott have been at Burnbrae since the revitalisation of the women’s side. ‘I have been here since I was 17,’ says Burge, who is still a friend of McLachlan. ‘Rachel and I started together in our first year at uni in 2017. It was apparent that she was going to be a real talent. It was immediate. The first game she played was a friendly and even though she had the least experience she was made captain.

‘We call her Judo because you meet a lot of Rachels and her career as a judo internationalist marked her out. So Judo it was. Her judo past also was apparent on the pitch. She just flipped opponents over.’

Burge played alongside McLachlan for a season and also stayed with her as they both studied physiotherapy.

‘We keep in contact,’ says Burge. ‘It’s great to see her play in a World Cup. The passion she had even back then was incredible and so was her commitment. She would get up at six to go to the gym before uni and then go and train after it. You could see her love for the game.’

Scott says: ‘I also played a season with Rachel and keeping up with her was in itself a problem.’ She recalls the ferocity of the internationalist’s tackling and the depth of her dedication.

Scott, an assistant manager at a gym, is all-in on the sport, too. ’I only started playing at uni during freshers’ week when a girl threw a ball to me and that was it, I was off.’

She adds: ‘It has given me such confidence. It’s a good environment to be part of.

My niece is my biggest fan. So it is good to see children being attracted to the game.’

The childish squeals at the back of the stand had one message. The national team may have come up short. But the game is growing.