SCOTLAND full-back Chloe Rollie believes her team are in a much better headspace than they were five years ago - and hopes they can prove as much against France at Scotstoun on Sunday.
The 26-year-old from Jedburgh missed out on last week’s 24-19 away loss to Wales because of illness, but should be back in the side to face the French in the third round of games in the TikTok Women’s Six Nations. She thinks that in the past morale would have been badly hit by that loss in Cardiff, but is confident that the squad are more resilient these days.
“We’re a very well-knit team now,” Rollie said. “When you lose a game you were supposed to win it is tough, but I don’t think it affects us too much now. I think maybe five, six years ago our heads would have gone down and stayed down for the next week. Now we brush it off and move on.”
Having played in almost every game since her debut in 2015, Rollie found it unusual to be watching from her living room last week, but also believes it offered her a useful perspective on how the match unfolded. “Watching on the outside was difficult,” she said. “It was mixed emotions.
“It was good as well, as it meant I was able to take that from my living room and bring it into camp this week and say maybe we were too narrow at times or whatever else. It has been helpful because I’ve come in refreshed and ready to go and can give people pointers on that side of things.”
The defeat by a Welsh which now has 12 full-time professionals and another 12 part-timers has led to calls for Scottish Rugby to follow suit, but Rollie does not think that explains why Scotland surrendered a 12-point lead in the second half. “We can’t put it all on not being professional,” she insisted. “We are supported and we do get help from the SRU. I think that was just us being our own enemies.”
Now with Exeter, Rollie played for French club Lille for a while alongside team-mates Jade Konkel and Lisa Thompson, and believes her experience there helped her game develop. “I still think my time in France was massively helpful for me as individual, as a player,” she added. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without it."
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