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.
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Rugby World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Rugby World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
"I stress-test my coaches' ideas but ultimately you have to let the bakers bake"
Northampton Saints' director of rugby explains how to be an effective coach
REMEMBER WHEN...WE HAD A HOTLINE ON RUGBY GOING PRO
RW readers could ring in to have their say on the amateur-pro debate
RUGBY RANT
Editor Joe Robinson on why rugby needs to take kit launches more seriously
WHAT IT'S LIKE TO...BE A SEVENS REFEREE SELECTOR
Irish official David Keane lifts the lid on his role behind the scenes
“You can still be fully professional and enjoy yourself"
The Wales great who also represented the Lions and Scarlets with distinction
CLEVEDON RFC
Giving grass-roots rugby the love that it deserves...
Downtime with... Jacob Umaga - "Best player in my family? I have to say Uncle Tana"
The Benetton fly-half on Italy, basketball and talented kinsmen
SHANE MCDONALD
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
100* Not Out
RW charts a century of Samoa's flagship national team, including its dramatic rebirth in the late 1980s
Chunk
More than a decade since his retirement, we caught up with Allan Jacobsen, the larger-than-life former Scotland prop
