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It was a moment that should have been laced with positivity. Or, at least, optimism in defeat.
Yet for anyone watching the post-match interviews following Scotland women’s defeat by England in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final, it was impossible to get away from the sense that Rachel Malcolm’s team had been let down.
Not by its players, nor manager. But, incredibly, by the very union that was professed to back it to the hilt.
It was, to be blunt, an extraordinary moment. A quiet evisceration of Scottish Rugby, who have come under fire for the way they have handled contract negotiations with players.
Negotiations which would, ultimately, leave several players taking to the pitch in the knowledge they’d be jobless at the end of the tournament.
Jade Konkel would be one of them. A Scotland stalwart, player of the year for Harlequins last season, and an athlete who, in her own words, still has a lot to give in terms of her performance.
Konkel took matters into her own hands just days before the game against the Red Roses. She announced her retirement from international rugby, she said, in order to finish on her ‘own terms’.
Scotland's women lost out in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final to hosts England
Molly Poolman, Emma Orr and Chloe Rollie salute the Scottish fans at the final whistle
While the Scots did well to progress, there was a feeling of disappointment at the end
Once the proverbial shackles were off, Konkel spoke her mind. And boy, did she deliver. Frankly, who could blame her, after a ‘six-minute conversation’ over her contract? Six minutes, for a 74-cap career.
‘It has been a tough couple of months,’ she admitted after the game. ‘With all of us getting bombshells dropped on us right before a World Cup which is not the best prep.
‘There have been so many small conversations, background noise, and the fact that we made it to a quarter-final is - I’m not going to lie - through no help of the SRU.
‘They’ve made our build-up to this really challenging, mentally and emotionally.’
It was a feeling that echoed the words of their skipper, Malcolm, when she spoke of the same issues ahead of the tournament.
Players, she insisted, had been put in an ‘unfair position’, with the issue over contracts providing a ‘disruptive’ influence. At a media event in August, other players also spoke out.
Rhona Lloyd told Daily Mail Sport that although she was fortunate to have a contract, she was ‘not happy’ with the way negotiations elsewhere had been carried out while Helen Nelson insisted it was ‘really distracting’. She added: ‘We are aware we are not in control.’
The Scots had spoken about the contracts issue having disrupted their World Cup build-up
In truth, Scottish Rugby, like all sporting organisations has every right to pick and choose who it might want on its books for the following season. This, as we know, is perfectly natural. Not everyone will get what they want. Players come, players go. That’s just the nature of sport.
However, the pervading message here is important.
The decision to leave players in the lurch ahead of such a major competition showed a fundamental lack of respect for each individual’s worth. These players were expected to give their all for their country, yet were treated shabbily in return.
The move took for granted the mental strain it would inevitably put on their performances; the emotional burden it would heap on each and every one of the players who made up that squad of 32.
Once negotiations were concluded, multiple players knew they’d be left out in the cold. They’d be expected to rock up and perform, but would, at the end of it, be thrown on the scrap heap. Concerns were bound to rocket, over ongoing medical support, sports and conditioning, and crucially, finance.
This, I would suggest, is one of the key reasons Konkel felt moved to speak up.
Jade Konkel, a stalwart of the Scotland team, has hit out at Scottish Rugby and retired
The 29-year-old has had 13 solid years with Scotland. There are many, however, who still have plenty of years left in the game.
Some may still be called-up for the likes of the Six Nations, but won’t know whether they’re coming or going. And pertinently, whether they have the ability to commit to such an intense programme, with little to no financial stability.
As one insider put to me, these women definitely ‘deserve better’.
We have to question, if we’re honest here, how much of this can really be seen as progress?
Yes, we are at a pivotal moment for the women’s game in Scotland. But can it truly move forward with such continued lack of trust and transparency?
Respect, in all forms, has to be earned. And that, as we know, must ultimately start at the top.
