The next two days are going to make a significant chapter in the life of Scotland scrum-half Sarah Law.
On Friday the 22 year-old will hand in her dissertation for her degree in Applied Mathematics in the University of Edinburgh. On Saturday she will face another landmark as Scotland’s Women, coming off their win against Wales, take on the might of the ‘Auld Enemy’ England at the Twickenham Stoop. Law and her colleagues will take on the Red Roses with added confidence after securing their first Women’s Six Nations win for seven years with a 15-14 victory against Wales. Rewinding almost two weeks to the events that unfolded in Broadwood Stadium and the young woman from Penicuik was an important figure in the Scots’ winning equation.
Women’s Six Nations Facebook / Women’s Six Nations YouTube Not only did she offload for Lisa Thomson’s crucial try but she also held her nerve to kick the match-winning penalty in the dying minutes. For all her accomplishments on and off the rugby pitch, Law comes across as self-effacing and practical, almost as if balancing the pressures of the final year of university course and Women’s Six Nations rugby is a common experience. “I think it is just getting on with it more than anything,” said Law. “We have quite a structured training session the same time every evening and we have to do our rehab stuff in the morning. In between we have to get on with the uni side of things as well. “It can be a little bit tough in camp but it is all a bit of a juggling act and a bit of a challenge and that is what I love.”
MULTI-TASKERS However, it would seem in Law’s world her current situation is not out of the ordinary with many of her Scottish team mates facing similar struggles with rugby and their studies. But Law admits having a focus outside of the sport has positive impact on the squad. “We would love to just be able to focus on rugby and I think when we are in camp, rugby is the only focus and you forget about university and you forget about what else you could be doing,” said Law. “Rugby is the main focus in camp but I think having something else away from it in the meantime is quite a good thing.” SISTERHOOD Sarah is also not the only Law balancing rugby and academia as her younger sister Rachel is studying veterinary medicine, also in the University of Edinburgh. She is also viewed as a bright prospect for the team as she hones her craft as a flanker for both the University team and Murrayfield Wanderers. The sisters share the field for their club and college sides and Sarah admits she enjoys having an almost telepathic understanding with her younger sister. “It’s fantastic playing rugby with her. “We are four years apart so when the age gap, when we played age grade rugby, we were always in separate teams, so playing senior rugby is now the first opportunity we have had to play together.
“It is really good to have someone on the team who reads the game in the same was as you do. I just know where she is going to be and she knows where I am going to be and it does work very well. Sarah would one day like to run out for Scotland Women alongside her sister and is optimistic about fulfilling that dream. “Hopefully she will play for Scotland some day. She just had a shoulder injury recently so she is out for a bit of time at the moment. “I think that is her ambition as well and she will be working hard over the next few years to hopefully get there. It would be really special.” The Law sisters’ rugby careers began under the watchful eye of her father Andy, who also played scrum half for their local club Penicuik RFC before turning his attention to refereeing. “When my Dad found out there was a minis section there he just took me along one day to training and I absolutely fell in love with it then and have played ever since,” said Law.
GIRLS IN RUGBY Back in in her mini rugby days, Law played predominantly with boys, but admitted she was never fazed by the prospect of being the only girl in the team. “It didn’t make much of a difference really for me, and because I started so early I was just growing up with, that is what we did,” she said. “The boys accepted a teammate more than anything, so it was never an issue that I was the only girl in the team. “I think it is a huge opportunity really for girls to start young. If you can develop the skills at that early age it puts you in good stead when it comes to senior rugby. “In terms of girls playing rugby, there is a big mix of people who have taken it up at different levels. “Some people don’t take it up until they get to university, so you get a big mix of people all playing on the same team.” And she expounds on the welcoming nature of the game as girls and women pick up the oval ball at a variety of different ages. “There is obviously a range of experiences within that. Most people are playing rugby for fun and I still love playing rugby and rugby is what I enjoy so I think we all have a shared drive,” said Law. “The reason we play rugby is we enjoy it and love it so much. So I don’t think, in a team environment, it makes much of a difference how long we have been playing for, everyone is there to enjoy the games.”
SHADE’S INFLUENCE When it comes to the evolution of Scottish Women’s rugby, Law points out the influence of head coach Shade Munro. “Shade came in last year. I think he has massively improved the women’s game in Scotland,” she said. “He has just come in with a completely different approach and emphasis on improving skills and fitness and it has made a massive difference to the squad. “He is quite relaxed with us. He understands how important it is. He comes from a professional rugby background as well. “He knows the game so well and everyone looks up to him as a leader figure. I think that has been massive.” Law praised the impact made by the BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy, which has nurtured the nation’s most promising female players since 2015. “I think Scottish Rugby is providing us with a huge amount of opportunities. They have just started the academy and there are 15 of us involved. “It means that we get to train together three or four times a week, strength and conditioning support, skill support and that has seen a massive improvement in our skills and fitness and you can see that on the pitch in the way we are playing at the moment.” Add into this rugby equation young players such as teenagers Lisa Thomson and Louise McMillan and 20-year-old winger Rhona Lloyd and women’s rugby in Scotland has reason to be optimistic. “We’ve got quite a young squad in Scotland at the moment. “We have played a couple of games together and that experience is starting to come which means people are more used to how we play and being involved in those situations which is probably why we are improving as we are at the moment.” It would seem a lot of positives are adding up for Law and Scotland Women. Tickets are available for every game of the Women’s Six Nations – simply visit the websites below for each country: ENGLAND FRANCE IRELAND ITALY SCOTLAND WALES
