Scotland have not won in France since 2003, and they are being given little chance of doing so in this afternoon’s TikTok Women’s Six Nations match in Vannes – especially as they have lost their last 11 matches in all competitions.
But Lisa Thomson, who is returning from Team GB Sevens duty to win her 50th cap at the Stade de la Rabine, has been around long enough to know her side are capable of upsetting the odds.
“We are excited for the challenge,” the 25-year-old from Hawick said. “It’s 20 years since we won in France, so it’s a huge challenge, but one we are ready for.
“As a group we have done so many firsts. Like in 2017 we came in and got our first Six Nations win in a while, then in 2022 we got to our first Rugby World Cup in a while. And we just want to keep pushing and get all those monkeys off our backs and get a win under our belt.
“France are a good side and they have played some good rugby in recent years. But we have had a few good Tests against them, including a 13-13 draw at Scotstoun, so there have been some good performances in there.”
Having missed out on the England and Wales games in the first two rounds of this year’s Championship, it would be a dream return to the national team for Thomson if she can help them claim that first win in two decades. But there is one thing she is not looking forward to at all.
Although she is a centre, Thomson hates being the centre of attention – and the tradition is that a player winning her 50th or 100th cap runs out on to the pitch first.
“Probably my worst nightmare actually,” she said. “We’ll see how it goes.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here