Scotland have not won in France since 2003, and they are being given little chance of doing so in this afternoon’s TikTok Women’s Six Nations match in Vannes – especially as they have lost their last 11 matches in all competitions.
But Lisa Thomson, who is returning from Team GB Sevens duty to win her 50th cap at the Stade de la Rabine, has been around long enough to know her side are capable of upsetting the odds.
“We are excited for the challenge,” the 25-year-old from Hawick said. “It’s 20 years since we won in France, so it’s a huge challenge, but one we are ready for.
“As a group we have done so many firsts. Like in 2017 we came in and got our first Six Nations win in a while, then in 2022 we got to our first Rugby World Cup in a while. And we just want to keep pushing and get all those monkeys off our backs and get a win under our belt.
“France are a good side and they have played some good rugby in recent years. But we have had a few good Tests against them, including a 13-13 draw at Scotstoun, so there have been some good performances in there.”
Having missed out on the England and Wales games in the first two rounds of this year’s Championship, it would be a dream return to the national team for Thomson if she can help them claim that first win in two decades. But there is one thing she is not looking forward to at all.
Although she is a centre, Thomson hates being the centre of attention – and the tradition is that a player winning her 50th or 100th cap runs out on to the pitch first.
“Probably my worst nightmare actually,” she said. “We’ll see how it goes.”
