A first win under their belt, Glasgow Warriors Women look to build and inspire next generation
Today at 06:35 AM
Members of the Warriors team discuss the challenging start to the season, the Edinburgh win and the impact the Celtic Challenge will have for both players and fans.
Standing in a room overlooking the Scotsoun pitch, someone asks if I'd like a coffee before interviewing begins. You would hardly know it from the gentle cadence of the offer but it's the very same person who helped orchestrate the attack that made mincemeat of Edinburgh last weekend.
Yet Stuart Lewis, the Warriors Women's attack coach, is reluctant to receive any praise for the 36-17 victory over their rivals, "I can't take too much credit, I'm not running about," he protests "But it was good to see".
The satisfaction is easy to comprehend, in part because of his years spent at the club, nine in total, working mainly with the community team and rugby operations for the Men's team. The nitty gritty side of the game that most don't see "lifting their kit and planning their travel," as he explains.
Judging by the way he brushes off compliments, Lewis was quite happy to continue to do his best work in the shadows as he volunteered to take on a similar role with the Women's squad only to be caught aback by an offer to coach. Hardly a blind casting by any stretch, Lewis was head coach of Strathclyde University Women at the time.
Like it or not however, the spotlight has been firmly turned on himself and the players who earned a convincing win over Edinburgh in the Celtic Challenge, just under two months after suffering a 63-15 defeat in the capital.
Not that the result came as a surprise to captain and scrum-half Mairi McDonald, who has had to wait 14 games for a first Warriors win in the competition, "I always thought we believed in ourselves. If we don't have that then no one's going to believe in us," says the skipper.
Adamant that it was cohesion rather than the damage defeats caused that were difference between winning and losing, "it's just all of us clicking together eventually. We hadn't actually trained that much as a squad before the competition started," says McDonald, whose try helped seal the famous victory.
A sentiment echoed by teammate Freya Walker, "I think because before the first game we were together like a month and a bit, so really really didn't know how each other played," says the flanker.
"We've just been building each week and understanding how each other play, each other's strengths and weaknesses and helping each other get on," adding "but I think we were all raring to go even more because it was a big rival."
A rivalry that takes on another dimension when you consider that Walker was playing for Edinburgh this time last year, "The first time we played them, it wasn't the result we wanted and I probably took that harder than the rest of the girls," says the 22 year old.
"But this weekend I was absolutely buzzing. I wanted to go out, play well and win and I did both of them so I was really chuffed," before adding "and big smiles on my face when I was shaking everyone's hand."
Despite the much deserved celebrations, nobody needs to tell the players and staff that this was just the first step towards success in a league brimming with quality.
"It's a bit daunting," Walker admits, "If I'm honest I try not to think about it because I'd get in my own head and I think a couple of the games we probably did get in our heads about it and the names on the team sheet as opposed to the people in front of us."
McDonald, a Scotland international and a member of the 2021 World Cup squad, is confident about the qualities of her own squad, "It's been really good, I think it's been tough. The other teams are strong, but so are we."
Playing against teams full of internationals such as the Clovers and Wolfhounds is a task that might seem more difficult given the age profile of the squad. Two of their leading players in Emily Coubroguh and Poppy Mellanby, have a combined age of 35. But the opportunities given the two, among others, make it clear the side adopt the 'if you're good enough, you're old enough' mantra.
"They don't have a lot of experience of games where they are playing teams that are better than them," says Lewis, pointing to wider gap that exists in Scottish club rugby, "They're probably used to winning and being so dominant that they can run around and score tries and then they come up against international players." Not that seemed to faze Sky Phimister in her last outing against Gwalia Lightning.
Walker, has also noticed the steep learning curve, "It's definitely stretched my performance. Playing for Watsonians in the Prem, I wouldn't say it's comfortable, but some games don't stretch you as much."
For the summer recruit, there has arguably been as much adjusting off the park as there has been on it, "I didn't know them before but it's actually really fun to be around and it's light hearted," adding "it does make it more welcoming, especially coming in being one of the news ones this season and seeing all these fun, big characters. I feel like I could be myself and not be judged."
However Walker appreciates the side's professionalism when the time comes, "there is that switch of knowing to leave it on the side of the pitch, get going and having a bit of gritting the teeth and let's get better together."
Coach Lewis has been hugely impressed by the work ethic and discipline shown by the players whose semi-professional status means they do much of their extras away from the club.
"The girls work hard, they do the analysis, ask the questions and turn up after being students or full-time workers into the rubbish weather we get here and put a graft in."
Graft that the club hopes will pay off on Saturday as the side welcome Welsh contingent Gwalia Lightning. The scars of their reverse fixture only just starting to heal.
"Building into that week we'd had two tough results," says Lewis, referring to the first Edinburgh defeat and the 48-7 loss to the Wolfhounds, "And going into that week, it was the first one I think the girls were like 'we've actually got this'".
They almost did, tries from Gemma Bell, Phimister and a Briar McNamara double had fired the Warriors to a 26-12 lead and en route to a first Celtic Challenge win before Lightning struck back and dealt a killer blow after the clock had gone red to seal a 31-26 win for the Welsh.
"It was heartbreaking. It's not nice seeing the girls so upset because you just want them to get a reward at some point", Lewis tells me "I think to be honest our girls just weren't expecting to win. I mean it is a cliché in sports that winning teams know how to win."
If not the full five points, the result did help them "breed confidence", showing the players and coaches that "we're on the right track here, it'll come good. Thankfully it came good against Edinburgh," he says smiling.
In agreement is McDonald who notes that although they fell short, the side showed that they could compete with some of the stronger sides in the league. Lightning, who currently sit third with five wins from seven, will present a difficult challenge come the day.
"They're a physical bunch, and pretty gritty. As you would expect from any Welsh player," remarks Lewis.
The inception of the Celtic Challenge, launched in 2022, was in part to help provide a platform for teams like the Gwalia Lightning and the Warriors to showcase their skills to the national squad selectors. Three of the squad making full use of the eyeballs the competition has attracted as Holland Bogan, Mellanby and Coubrough have earned a place in the Scotland Six Nations squad as day-trainers.
Yet its purpose is far greater according to Walker, "This competition is not just for us as individuals," she adds "It's given that platform and having wee girls coming up to you and saying 'hopefully that's me one day' or 'one day I want to be like that'".
The rugby has played its part in helping to bring fans to games but the players also know that work off the pitch is required to inspire the next generation of players, their bright personalities coming across on both the club's social media and on personal pages such as Órla Proctor's 'Day in the Life' videos on Tik Tok.
'I think one of the key things is getting young girls who are on social media to see what we're up to, not just on the pitch but our lives outside rugby and connect with them that way so that hopefully we can get them into the stands," says McDonald, "Especially at our home game when we won, there were lots of fans asking for selfies and little girls getting people to sign things."
Curious as to how that must feel as a player, I ask McDonald if it is strange to be idolised in that way.
"I wouldn't say strange because I was once that girl at the side of the pitch, getting selfies and autographs," she tells me "It's giving back to them and showing that they can do it one day as well."
If they thought they were popular with the Scotsoun faithful after beating Edinburgh, they'll have their work cut out for them signing autographs and taking selfies should they make it two on the bounce when Gwalia come to town.
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