Sometimes the occasion matters more than the game itself. There were 30,498 in attendance at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, a record for a standalone women’s sporting event in Scotland.
Rachel Malcolm has captained Scotland more than 50 times and never experienced anything like this at home. “It is so cool we can now say we are playing at our national stadium and we have crowds big enough to warrant that. That is somewhere I never thought I would get to in my career or my lifespan in this sport,” said Malcolm, 34.
The roar as each of the home fans began to realise that Rhona Lloyd had the pace to get past Ellie Kildunne and Jess Breach, scoring Scotland’s only try, will no doubt stay with Malcolm and her players for some time.
Before kick-off, there were enjoyable sights everywhere you looked. Signs paying tribute to Sale’s Amy Cokayne and Holly Aitchison. A Hamilton-inspired poster for Sadia Kabeya.
Spectators in roses hats battling the wind. Families decked out in Red Roses cowgirl hats or Where’s Wally? costumes. One supporter with half-and-half face paint, which feels controversial. Mo Hunt, the injured England scrum-half now ruled out for the tournament with a leg injury, taking selfies with a line of supporters while on her crutches.
Two moments topped all of them. Seeing a young boy with his parents wearing a Scotland shirt with “Nelson 10” on the back, in tribute to Helen Nelson, the Scottish No 10 winning her 77th cap. And the way every one of England’s players greeted Maud Muir, who ran out to celebrate her 50th cap with a beaming smile, with the warmest of hugs after join her out on the field. Muir responded by bludgeoning her way into attackers in defence, and with one notably excellent line break where it looked as though she might fend off everyone north of the border.
There is a competitiveness issue with this fixture, and the scoreline here does not reflect the progress made by Scotland at last year’s Rugby World Cup when they reached the quarter-finals for the first time at the seventh attempt. A new head coach in Sione Fukofuka and key retirements have given Scotland serious “new cycle” vibes, and the final score would have been depressingly familiar from a Scottish perspective given results from recent years, having kept England more honest in last year’s World Cup quarter-final when they lost 40-8.
This was lopsided, no question. But still special.
This was lopsided, no question. But still special.
Watching England, this patched-up England, is a very different experience. The depth of their forwards is being tested more than ever, with four locks now unavailable – three are pregnant, with a fourth in Morwenna Talling out of the tournament injured – and 22-year-old Lilli Ives Campion now running the lineout. In the short term those absences pose problems but from a long-term view, thinking about building depth and combinations for the next Rugby World Cup, there is actually serious value to this kind of disruption. The fact that England looked as though they were barely skipping a beat, scoring a dozen tries, deserves praise.
England were clunky in last week’s opener against Ireland but those rough edges were more or less smoothed out here, moving the ball with precision and intent, with the bonus of Zoe Harrison being perfect off the tee with 12 conversions.
Brutal carries by Maddie Feaunati and Kabeya were too hot for Scotland to handle, providing assists for first-half tries by Kildunne and Meg Jones. Kildunne’s second, from a wide pass by Jones, took her to 50 tries for England in 59 Tests. Sue Day’s England record of 61 tries in 59 games is now firmly within her sights.
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Every side in this Women’s Six Nations – the world, really – have work to do to catch up with England on the field. What should be celebrated however is the progress being made off it, the good vibes from last year’s Rugby World Cup attracting more fans to matches, and not just in England after 77,000 were at Allianz Stadium for England’s opener.
The 30,000-plus here will be followed by more than 20,000 when Ireland host Scotland in the final round at the Aviva Stadium. Choosing the larger Stade Atlantique in Bordeaux for the grand finale between France and England suggests that more than 30,000 could show up there. Those are all serious numbers, a welcome sign of growth and the appetite for more top-level women’s rugby in bigger grounds.
Rivals closing the gap with better investment, as a result of higher attendances and commercial opportunities, will hopefully lead to results like this happening less often and more roars around Murrayfield. This was lopsided, no question. But still special.
Photograph by Molly Darlington – RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images