‘Hurt my soul’: Rachel Malcolm opens up on Scotland’s identity loss

Results were disappointing but more than that it was the erosion of fundamentals that caused her additional pain as she recovered from a knee injury.

Having three different head coaches in a year was bound to cause turbulence and there was also a natural turnover of players as stalwarts such as Jade Konkel and Christine Belisle retired following last year’s Rugby World Cup. But there was one particular area in which Malcolm felt the team had allowed things to slip.

“Anyone who knows me knows that defence is my favourite part of rugby,” said Malcolm who returns to the side on Saturday to lead Scotland against Canada at Hive Stadium.

“And I think it hurt my soul a little bit to see how much we slipped off after the World Cup and kind of lost that identity and that team that were really hard to score against.”

Why Malcolm is optimistic

Scotland had impressed at the World Cup, reaching the quarter-finals under Bryan Easson. The head coach and Scottish Rugby parted ways after the tournament and Sione Fukofuka took over for an ill-starred seven months. Under the Australian, the team endured a difficult Six Nations.

An opening win in Wales was followed by a chastening 84-7 loss to England at Murrayfield, the match in which Malcolm was injured. Three more heavy defeats followed, with the Scots shipping 41, 69 and 54 points to Italy, France and Ireland, respectively.

They conceded more than any other team in the championship but Malcolm believes they are becoming more durable under Dave Butcher who was placed in interim charge following Fukofuka’s surprise switch to Australia last month.

“I think this last five weeks has been a really good push forward,” said the flanker. “I don't think we are the finished product by any means, and I think there's definitely more in us, particularly from a physicality point of view, but we need to play some rugby to then probably get up to speed on that front as well.

“But what is making me excited is that we are excited to defend again. We have real clarity in how we want to defend.”

The unpredictable Canadians

If Scotland lost their identity under Fukofuka, they are going to have to quickly rediscover it ahead of a tough schedule in the WXV Global Series. First up are World Cup finalists Canada, followed by further games in Edinburgh against New Zealand and Australia. After that, it’s two more Tests against the Wallaroos down under.

“Well, the thing with Canada is their kind of game is pretty unpredictable, so as much as you can prepare for it and hope to shut it down, it's one of those being alert for all opportunities,” said Malcolm.

“I think we probably won't have as many opportunities in attack as we do against other oppositions, so it's about how can we be as clinical as possible when we get those.”

Anything other than a win for the Canadians would represent a big shock but Malcolm is convinced Scotland are heading in the right direction under Butcher.

“I feel so much happier and more confident about where we are as a Scotland team right now than I felt during, before or after the Six Nations,” she said. “So I think that's a really cool place to be.”

Scotland v Canada teams

Scotland v Canada, WXV Global Series, Hive Stadium, Saturday, 4.10pm.

Scotland: Chloe Rollie; Rhona Lloyd, Rachel Philipps, Meryl Smith, Shona Campbell; Helen Nelson, Rhea Clarke; Leah Bartlett, Lana Skeldon, Elliann Clarke, Emma Wassell, Hollie Cunningham, Rachel Malcolm (capt), Evie Gallagher, Becky Boyd. Replacements: Aicha Sutcliffe, Anne Young, Molly Poolman, Eva Donaldson, Adelle Ferrie, Ceitidh Ainsworth, Hannah Ramsay, Katie Buchanan.

Canada: Claire Gallagher; Fancy Bermudez, Florence Symonds, Alexandra Tessier (capt), Charity Williams; Taylor Perry, Olivia Apps; Brittany Kassil, Kiki Idowu, DaLeaka Menin, Rachel Smith, Laetitia Royer, Julia Omokhuale, Lizzie Gibson, Gabrielle Senft. Replacements: Emily Tuttosi, Sophie McDonald, Brooke Rempel, Sophie de Goede, Pamphinette Buisa, Justine Pelletier, Savannah Bauder, Asia Hogan-Rochester.

Referee: Holly Wood (RFU).