Jade Konkel, 23, back row, Scotland and Lille Metropole
At a rugby camp when I was young we were asked who wanted to be a Scotland international and I didn’t put my hand up. I was just a wee girl from near Munlochy on the Black Isle. I didn’t think it was possible.
I moved to Glasgow when I was 18. Before then, I was travelling from Inverness to Glasgow every Sunday to play rugby for Hillhead Jordanhill. It was all out of my own pocket and I had to juggle it with work and college. It was tough but I loved it. Joining the club was like finding another family. Whether you’re the best player in the world or getting started, you’re equal because you’re part of the team.
In June 2016 the strength and conditioning coach asked me to go to the manager’s office. My unpaid, or stage two, contract was about to finish, so I feared the worst. Then the manager offered me a full-time professional contract. I may have cried – I never thought it was on the cards.
A few days later I suffered a bad shoulder injury and the operation and rehab kept me out for seven months. I missed the Women’s Rugby World Cup qualifiers, which broke my heart, but being around other players kept me going.
The injury taught me to get on with things. When I wasn’t working on rehab, in the gym or analysing games, I was reading books about growth mindset. I also talked to as many players as I could to get advice and make sure I didn’t waste a second. I came back for the Women’s Six Nations a better player.
Before I got a professional contract I was studying social work at Glasgow Caledonian University. I would get up at the crack of dawn to head to uni to study before my lecture. Then I’d go straight to the nursing home I worked at for a late shift and try to fit training around that. I had very little time for sleep and more chance of injury.
Now, when I get up I feel well-rested. I have a hearty breakfast to fuel me for the day, then head for my morning gym session. After that, it’s outside for skills, games, speed work and conditioning.
My parents, Steve and Emma, both played rugby. I grew up watching my dad play because my mum's team disbanded. I was the annoying toddler who wanted to tackle the big guys and sing songs I shouldn’t be singing. When I was nine, I played mini-rugby for a year with the boys. I was always one of the top tacklers and got stuck in, so there were never any issues.
My family’s rugby daft. Last week we had a bouncy castle in the garden and it wasn’t long before the family were playing full contact rugby on it.
Scottish Rugby recently launched a campaign to get more girls and women playing rugby. There are now many more opportunities for females to play the sport I love.
I’m moving to France to play for Lille Metropole Rugby Club Villeneuvois in the Top 8 competition. I’m nervous about the language barrier but playing in a different culture will help me be the best player I can be for Scotland.
Visit scottishrugby.org/bestyou
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here