“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 talks were taking place between players and the Scottish Rugby Union. Some of the 32-player squad had deals that ran until May 2026 but the rest of the team had arrangements that 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 players – 35 – would be financially supported but only 21 of the 32 in the 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 been on a developmental contract but was given a five-month deal that covered the World Cup and ended in October. The Saracens centre, who played two games during the World Cup, says her mental health was not affected 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 says. “That is one of the things always out of your control but you can try your hardest to do what you can. 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.”

After the World Cup Blacklock returned to Saracens and decided to retire from the international game. Her decision had nothing to do with the contract situation; she just wants to make rugby a second priority in her life. She is returning to a job in data engineering and, after exploring other rugby opportunities such as playing in France, is planning to study to become a commercial pilot.

The 2026 Women’s Six Nations is her first time being a fan for Scotland instead of a teammate and she “loved” watching the team close out a comeback win over Wales in round one. This campaign is the start of a new era for Scottish women’s rugby and Blacklock was involved in a January camp with the new coaching staff, led by Sione Fukofuka.

“It was really great meeting them,” she says. “Sione seems very involved. I had gone up and played with Glasgow for a bit and he came to a lot of those training sessions. It was good because I had a lot of face-to-face time with him. Sione seems like he has an organised plan and the whole staff have bought into it and it does seem like a very promising step forward.

“It is very exciting to see where he can take them all and to see where Scottish rugby can get. We did have a proud World Cup and we have a great calibre of players, we just haven’t necessarily unlocked them so far. Hopefully Sione can do that.

“I know it wasn’t a fantastic situation going into the World Cup and I know it affected a lot of players. But at the end of the day one of the boasts that we have at Scotland is that we have a fantastic team. It is a fantastic group of players and the nation itself does back those players. It is incredible to play with and for your teammates and for Scotland.

“A lot of the things they are bringing in, the coaches they have brought in and the programme they are hoping to start does look like it is going to be a good step forward for Scotland. I am very excited for that.”

The next page in Scotland’s new chapter will be their first standalone match at Murrayfield on Saturday, against the defending champions, England, with almost 30,000 tickets sold.