It is England and Canada who advanced to the final four of the Women’s Rugby World Cup from Ashton Gate at the weekend but perhaps the more significant statements were made by the sides beaten in Bristol. Neither Scotland nor Australia came particularly close to causing a tournament upset, an eventuality that was always unlikely, but there was a certain shared unity in the manner in which each reflected on a campaign in which they had made great strides.
The sense from both, though, was of an uncertain future and news to imperil their progress. Most striking of all were the comments from Jade Konkel, Scotland’s talismanic No 8, who called a premature end to her time in an international shirt having decided to go out on her terms having not been offered a contract beyond this tournament. She was far from the only player within the Scottish squad operating under such circumstances; captain Rachel Malcolm predicted post-match that more retirements could be on the way, even if she had not considered her own future.
