Chloe Rollie has been a part of everything positive that has happened in Scottish women’s rugby over the last decade and there have been plenty of personal and team milestones notched up along the way.
For example, the full-back, brought up in Jedburgh in the Borders and now playing for Trailfinders Women in the PWR, was part of the squad that defeated Wales in 2017 to give the Scots their first Six Nations win since 2010.
That same year she and Lisa Thomson joined Jade Konkel as professional players, a move that now sees over 30 female players contracted by Scottish Rugby eight years later.
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The fleet-footed Rollie was part of the squad that won the WXV 2 title in 2023 and helped the team record seven Test wins on the spin heading into 2024.
So far, the trailblazing and the former captain Donna Kennedy is the only Scottish female to have reached three figures in terms of appearances for the national team having earned 115 caps, but Rollie, who has 75 caps currently sits eighth on the all-time list, and has got her sights set on joining the exclusive centurions club one day.
“In the tunnel at Murrayfield there is a list of all the players who have played women’s rugby for Scotland and beside the names of everyone who has earned over 50 caps there is a silver thistle to mark that milestone,” said the 29-year-old.
“Donna Kennedy’s is the only name that has a gold thistle next to it for having earned over 100 caps and I want one of those gold ones in the future for sure.”
Rollie currently sits behind current team mate and good friend Lana Skeldon in the caps list with the hooker boasting 79.
“I am obviously still a few caps away from getting there and it will take a while to play 25 more times for Scotland, but getting to a century of caps is definitely the longer-term target that is on my mind after the upcoming World Cup and then the big game against England at Murrayfield next year.”
The match Rollie is referring to was announced by Scottish Rugby, at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on Wednesday, where Rollie was representing the team along with winger Rhona Lloyd.
Scotland women will play in the main bowl of the national stadium in Edinburgh for the first time in a standalone international in front of spectators when England visit next April during the Six Nations.
The national team, which played its first ever official Test at Raeburn Place back in 1993, has played at Murrayfield only twice before.
However, the first one, a 34-3 win in 2002 versus Sweden, was a double-header played before a men’s clash with Fiji and the second, a rearranged 53-0 loss to the English in 2020, which was behind closed doors due to poor weather thanks to Storm Ciara.
As a result, this will be the first women’s international game in front of fans of its own merit, which will be played at the 67,144-capacity ground.
“This announcement is just massive for Scotland women and women’s rugby in this country,” Rollie said.
“And it is exciting not just for us, but for all the fans who have been watching us in their numbers since we moved to the Hive a few years ago and will now be able to enjoy a day out at Murrayfield and watching us there.
“When the squad were told about the plans to play a game at Murrayfield earlier in the week it was such a cool moment and a bit of a realisation for us that we really are pushing things forwards on and off the pitch.
“Since I started to play for Scotland a decade ago I have always hoped that one day the national team would be playing at Murrayfield, but back then it seemed a long way off.
“Two years ago when we sold out the Hive for the England Six Nations match I think it really started to click for me that it could be something that could realistically now happen and here we are.
“We did play at Murrayfield five years ago and it was amazing to be playing in the main bowl then, but it was behind closed doors with only family, friends and a few media there on a Monday afternoon so next April will certainly feel different and that bit more special.”
This has been the first week of Scotland’s Rugby World Cup preparation camps and the 38-strong extended training squad – minus second-row Hollie Cunningham who is continuing her rehab from a hamstring injury with club Bristol Bears – has been together in Edinburgh.
Scotland, currently seventh in the world rankings, targeted three wins in the recent Six Nations, but a flat showing versus Italy meant they only won two and finished fifth as a result.
“We know we had some tougher times during the Six Nations than we’d have liked and bits that didn’t go our way, but we know how we can fix things up,” Rollie concluded.
“And the exciting thing as we get our build up to the World Cup going is that there is so much more to come from this group.”
Scotland’s first World Cup match is against fierce Six Nations rivals Wales on Saturday 23rd August, who they squeezed a tight 24-21 win over in this year’s championship.
“We started training this week and we are definitely pushing in the right direction so that we can peak when we get to England in August.
“We know what we want to focus on during this training block and everyone is working hard together to take this team to where we believe it can get to.”
