Scotland coach reveals what makes Women's Six Nations squad unlike anything he's seen in career

Sione Fukofuka’s side get their tournament underway this weekend when face Wales at the Principality Stadium. The former USA women’s head coach, who was appointed in December last year, and his staff began their first training camp with the players last week.

Butcher, a former prop for West Hartlepool and London Scottish during his own playing days, rejoined the SRU after almost a decade coaching in Canada. The 49-year old said that across his multiple decades in the game he has never seen a group of players arrive on day one of a training camp and immediately be so close knit.

’The best squads are the ones that are united’

“Walking into camp one with new players and new coaching staff, I haven't seen that level of unity that early,” said the Scotland forwards coach. "I've been in squads where there's been cliques over the years, but I think the best squads are the ones that are united behind something and united together.

"I think there is intention behind that from the senior players, of them bringing those younger players into the squad, rather than just seeing they're the younger players. I think there's some intention in what they're doing, but I think that's opened the door for those younger players to then have conversations with those older players, rather than go 'oh, that's Rachel Malcolm, she's the captain, and I've watched her play for the last ten years.' They've been pulled into it and integrated really well.

"I haven't seen it done as well as that for quite a long time, because a lot of the teams I've gone into have already spent a lot of time with each other. The players have maybe got one extra, two extra whereas here there's quite a few incoming players that maybe haven't had as much exposure at this level."

‘There’s no gatekeeping’ - senior Scotland players helping next generation integrate

The challenge now for Scotland is using that close bond and making the most of it not just on the training pitch but when the real action kicks off this weekend.

"That is the hope,” added Butcher. “I think just watching it from a pure rugby perspective, everyone's kind of on the same page and speaking the same language already. They're quite studious in terms of their homework, going away and making sure that they're embedding what we're trying to give them.

"You'll see someone like Emma Wassell talking to a young player, make sure that we're standing here and not standing there. She'll go and impart knowledge, or Rachel Malcolm's talking to the eights and sixes about what they're doing.

“There's no gatekeeping going on, it's very much like 'come on in, you're part of the squad, we'll help you because it's going to help us.' There's that mentality of everyone pushing in the same direction at the minute.

"Obviously they work extremely hard on the pitch but then off the pitch there's a lot of smiling and laughing and things like that, and I always think that's a barometer of a team. If you've got that work rate, but you can see them laughing and joking like two best friends would do then I think you're in a really, really good place.”