‘It was stressful’: inside Scotland women’s Rugby World Cup contract wrangle

“There were players who were definitely struggling,” says the former Scotland international Beth Blacklock of the contract uncertainty that surrounded the squad before their run to the 2025 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

In pre-World Cup camps contract talks were taking place between players and the Scottish Rugby Union. Some of the 32-player squad had deals which ran until May 2026 but the rest of the team had arrangements which ended in October after the World Cup had concluded.

The talks which took place before the tournament began were described as “disruptive” to their preparations by the Scotland captain, Rachel Malcolm, at the time. In November last year the SRU announced an increased number of 35 players would be financially supported but only 21 of the 32 World Cup squad were to receive a contract.

Blacklock was one of the players who did not receive a new deal. The 28-year-old had previously been on a developmental contract with the governing body but was given a five-month deal which covered the World Cup and ended in October. The Saracens centre, who played two games during the World Cup, said her mental health was not impacted by the process but she did tell the Guardian it was “difficult” to see some of her teammates going through a stressful time.

“There were definitely some players who were feeling in a hard place who didn’t necessarily feel they could control getting a contract,” Blacklock said. “I think that is one of the things, it is always out of your control but you can try your hardest to do what you can. I think there were some players who were definitely struggling knowing what to do post-World Cup.

“Going into a World Cup where you can’t necessarily organise the environment you are going to be living in after, to try and make sure your path is set, was definitely stressful for some people. I am in a luckier place where I knew I was going after and I knew I have friends and family and things to fall back on. So I haven’t necessarily had the same stresses as other players.”

The SRU said in a statement it “engaged with the Scotland Women playing group over many months in several instances, including face-to-face or via online meetings, starting in March 2025, to work through the contracting process in a timely manner ahead of the Rugby World Cup. Contracting discussions concluded and were communicated with all members of the Rugby World Cup training squad prior to the tournament commencing.”