'inhuman World Cup Contract Decision Left Us Emotionally Damaged'

Players told BBC Sport that nan squad discussed boycotting 1 lucifer during nan 2025 Women's Six Nations - 5 months earlier nan World Cup began - to effort to scope a solution pinch Scottish Rugby connected its petition for 12-month contracts.

All nan players contacted opportunity they were told statement decisions were based connected capacity and that they whitethorn still get a caller statement should they execute good astatine nan tournament, adding further pressure.

"It virtually was a do aliases dice lifeline," 1 subordinate said.

"It's for illustration I request to do everything I tin connected this rugby pitch, different I'm not going to person a occupation and I'm going to struggle to salary my rent.

"When you're not sleeping, you don't person an appetite. You're conscionable miserable astir of nan day. It's really difficult to past put successful a capacity aliases do yourself justice."

Scottish Rugby's consequence said that players were told "on a number of occasions that their standalone playing capacity astatine nan World cup was not nan sole criteria for immoderate imaginable alteration to their statement situation".

Told her statement would extremity successful October, 1 subordinate said she was connected occupation hunt websites "most nights" during nan tourney looking for jobs "that were appropriate" for her life arsenic a nine rugby player.

She said: "Before you moreover started a job, you're trying to bargain and speak pinch a caller employer and beryllium like, 'Can I decorativeness astatine this time?' Because I person to really spell to my different occupation [club rugby training].

"Then I'm going to travel successful tired successful nan greeting because I've not sewage into furniture until midnight."

Players nary longer connected contracts tin still correspond Scotland, but they now autumn nether nan country's National Team Agreement, which offers them £75 a day, not including remainder days, for attending Scotland training camps.

One subordinate said "she can't beryllium involved" for that amount, adding: "I won't beryllium capable to spend to salary my mortgage."

Another subordinate said concerns complete her early took "an affectional toll", adding: "I didn't want to beryllium there. I look backmost connected it pinch exhaustion. It was specified a large opportunity but I person thing but antagonistic thoughts astir it.

"[After nan tournament] I removed myself from societal settings, immoderate settings wherever group could inquire maine loads astir rugby.

"If I did get into that environment, I would effort to region myself arsenic quickly arsenic imaginable because it made maine panic and stress."

The subordinate said Scotland Rugby had not been successful interaction astir immoderate follow-up support.

"There's been nary benignant of input about, 'do you request psychology?' aliases thing for illustration that," she said.