SCOTLAND Women will train together for 11 weeks ahead of the World Cup in New Zealand later this year after a financial agreement was struck with the squad.

The Scottish Rugby Union has agreed individual financial packages with 36 players to compensate them for time taken out of work or studies in line with their personal salaries or situations, in addition to existing payments for internationals.

The SRU says the agreement will take its investment in the squad beyond £500,000 in 2022.

Scotland head coach Bryan Easson said: “To have the players training from Monday to Friday for 11 weeks will be hugely beneficial to our programme for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, as we will be able to go into a lot more depth and detail in our on-field and off-field work than ever before.”

Captain Rachel Malcolm added that the squad were “delighted” with the news.

“We have a real opportunity now to get ourselves in the best possible shape to compete at the Rugby World Cup and inspire the next generation of young girls in Scotland,” she said.