Auld Enemies To Old News, But Scotland Aim To Reignite Rivalry

Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final: England v Scotland

Venue: Ashton Gate, Bristol Date: Sunday 14 September Kick-off: 16:00 BST

Coverage: Live connected BBC One, Sports Extra Two and BBC Sport website and app

To get an thought of really agelong agone Scotland past hit England, publication a Scotland connected Sunday file that appeared nan aforesaid year.

"It hardly seems sensible for girls to want to return portion successful this peculiarly sadistic interaction sport," wrote celebrated journalist Jack McLean.

"Why girls of teenage years wish to eschew specified teen delights arsenic make-up, bully clothes, elaborate hair-dos and mooning astir aft boys of a Saturday day successful favour of brawling successful nan glaur of a bedewed Scottish playing section successful nan wintertime is beyond me."

And he was 1 of women's rugby's much supportive observers astatine nan time.

Not rather nan Stone Age, but we are now much than a 4th of a period distant from Scotland's past occurrence complete their neighbours.

Scotland edged to an 8-5 triumph successful nan 1998 Home Nations - a precursor to nan Women's Six Nations - and past took a 15-13 triumph successful a third-place play-off astatine nan European Championship successful Italy a twelvemonth later.

Donna Kennedy, Scotland's astir capped player, played successful both.

"We were a very good, beardown broadside astatine that time," she told BBC Sport.

"But we were still ever nan underdogs, because England person ever been bully astatine what they do. Even backmost past they were nan squad to beat.

"That crippled successful 1999 - up a upland successful Italy - was really tight.

"It was very overmuch an up-front conflict successful nan forwards. I tin retrieve it being rather a feisty game.

"The crippled has changed now, but backmost past you could still put a footwear connected and ruck personification out."

Scotland person not been capable to laic truthful overmuch arsenic a mitt connected England since however.

Instead it has been one-way traffic, pinch nan Red Roses juggernaut steaming done Scotland again and again.

England person played Scotland 34 times successful total, and, isolated from those 2 defeats from different millennia, person won each time.

In nan past 5 meetings, nan mean points quality betwixt nan teams has stretched to astir 50.

The Auld Enemy has go aged news; a rivalry devoid of jeopardy, a bitter punchline delivered connected repetition for nan Scots.

Kennedy believes nan existent spread betwixt nan teams is owed to 3 things; structure, finance and earthy numbers.

"There are a batch much players successful England, firstly," she says.

"Secondly, it is nan pathways for players to go internationals. England group them up early on. They were up of each federation successful that, not conscionable Scotland.

"England were a batch quicker disconnected nan people pinch investing successful some sevens and XVs, which past feeds into home rugby. You don't conscionable go an world player, you person to travel though those clubs."

Kennedy is hopeful that nan Celtic Challenge, a cross-border nine title pinch teams from Scotland, Ireland and Wales that launched successful 2023, tin supply a proving crushed to rival England's PWR successful time.

Scotland person steadily improved successful caller years, but their World Cup build-up was knocked by nan announcement that long-time caput coach Bryan Easson would depart astatine nan extremity of nan campaign and uncertainty complete statement renewals.

A broadside that has risen from 12th successful nan world rankings successful 2019 to sixth now, that sparkled successful nan excavation stages, seeing disconnected Wales and Fiji and scaring Canada, doesn't merit specified an unsettled situation.

"We person made specified a bully leap guardant successful past 5 to six years, why would we fto spell of that now?" added Kennedy.

"The squad are going retired location and showing what they tin do. Let's make judge we person everything down them to thief them continue.

"You person to backmost up a squad that is competing connected nan world stage.

"There is nan level now and we person to usage our voices.

"I cognize location person been conversations pinch Scottish Rugby and I judge headway has been made. They person to get those contracts right, not conscionable for nan players that are location now, but besides for nan talent coming though.

"This can't beryllium a one-hit wonder. There must beryllium continuity, finance and commitment. It has to beryllium talked astir each nan time. And if it is not, I will astir apt beryllium 1 of nan first group to outcry astir it."

Kennedy will beryllium astatine Ashton Gate connected Sunday, shouting for Scotland connected nan transportation arsenic they effort to daze nan hosts and nan world.

"There will beryllium belief successful that team, location is nary uncertainty astir it," said Kennedy.

"No-one takes nan section reasoning they are going to lose. Whatever nan record, you still judge arsenic a player."

The outfit successful which Kennedy celebrated victories complete England successful her ain playing days will sadly not characteristic however.

"Back successful 1998, we had this outfit pinch tartan trews, a pinky lilac shirt, and these tartan waistcoats, which we were truthful proud of," Kennedy remembers.

"After nan crippled we each rushed to get into that. We sewage backmost to nan clubhouse, stood location successful our pridefulness and joyousness and sang nan nationalist anthem. And England really joined in!

"That is nan beauty of nan game, nan joyousness of rugby. They recognised we had played amended than them that day. That was nan sportsmanship, celebrating nan crippled together.

"Those trousers are still somewhere, but I surely couldn't fresh successful them now."

Scotland will dream nan scoreline is likewise tight arsenic it was backmost past successful nan closing stages connected Sunday. And past that long-ago history tin beryllium repeated erstwhile again.