Jade Konkel-Roberts

Scotland's firefighting forward has blazed her own trail

- Sarah Rendell

FORMIDABLE. ICON. Trailblazing. A few words to describe Scotland’s Jade Konkel-Roberts after yet another impressive showing by the No 8 in the TikTok Six Nations.

She has taken her gainline-winning carries into the Premier 15s with her club Harlequins. Fans can see how she operates during games but team-mates have experience of her in training and are thankful she is on their side.

“Nobody likes tackling her,” says Scotland wing Rhona Lloyd. “Fortunately I only have to do it in training!”

Konkel-Roberts has been inspirational in professionalising the squad, becoming the first woman to earn a contract with Scotland. She was awarded the deal in 2016 before the SRU handed out 28 contracts late last year. Her team-mates celebrate her as a groundbreaker.

“She has always been a big influence on the team since I’ve been a part of it,” Lloyd adds. “She is so good with the young ones, really leading the way.

“She left university to pursue that first contract full-time. Although we call her our first professional player, that wasn’t because a professional salary was there. It was Jade taking it upon herself to make those sacrifices to do that.