Having been an integral part of the Scotland set-up the past decade, Jade Konkel admits it has been frustrating to watch on from the sidelines for much of the past 12 months.
Konkel suffered three serious ankle injuries and hasn’t played for Scotland since last year’s WXV success.
But Konkel – who was signed as Scottish Rugby’s first professional player in 2016 – is now back fit and with the squad as they prepare for the start of a long season.
The 30-year-old admitted it feels like a new chapter.
She said: "It is strange coming back in. The last time I was here was the last WXV so it's coming on a year and things are always evolving and changing and you're getting used to new calling systems, new coaches, so it is a fresh slate.
“Having the preparation before WXV is massive - it builds my confidence and hopefully the squad's confidence in me as well.
While she was a frustrated spectator, Konkel was encouraged by the team’s performances in her absence.
“It was brilliant to see such great form and seeing all the players absolutely smash it,” the number eight said.
“But there’s nothing worse than wanting to be on that pitch with your mates, with your team, and represent your country, so it was a tough thing to be on the sideline.”
She’s also been encouraged by the displays in training from some of the squads younger members, with Scotland now developing a strength in depth that was unthinkable when Konkel broke into the team.
"We’re continually getting new players coming through,” she said.
“People don’t look out of place either. You’ve got 19 and 20-year-olds coming in and they’re just so eager to learn. It’s really refreshing, as well as really exciting and really pleasing to see.
"There were many years when we didn’t have anyone really younger coming in, whereas we now have groups infiltrating - which makes me feel a lot older, as you can imagine.”
Konkel stepped away from the full-time game to pursue a career with the London Fire Brigade.
Over the summer, she was promoted to the role of acting leading firefighter but insists the extra responsibility at work could be a good thing for her Scotland career.
“It means that I can act up if my leading firefighter is off, and it means I can go for promotion if I want to.
“But being in charge is obviously a whole different ball game. You’ve really got to think about the law, policies, everything - taking a step back and actually delegating, which is very interesting to see from the other side of things.”
And as part of her job, Konkel got to take in some of the action at Wimbledon. The London Fire Brigade has provided stewards for the championships for the past 59 years.
She said: “I love watching it, so it was nice to actually be there in person.
“For the most part, when play was on I got to watch it. I got to watch the wheelchair final, which was awesome, and then on Centre Court I watched [Carlos] Alcaraz.
“Then I was actually working on finals day, so I saw him out with the trophy and doing all his celebrations - that was special.”
Despite an ever-increasing workload, Konkel insists it is easy to balance the demands of her day job and her rugby career. A colour-coded calendar helps her plan out the week’s training sessions around her four-on, four-off work schedule.
“Because I love playing, it’s never a case of ‘I’m going to struggle’. Yeah, I might be absolutely knackered, but when you’re round your mates and you’re prepping for a game, it’s exciting, because we like getting on the pitch to play.
“But don’t get me wrong, sometimes in the week I’ve had a pretty gruelling contact session and then a busy day at work, and I’m definitely in bed as soon as I get home, or nursing myself with a cup of tea.”
Back to rugby, and Konkel believes the squad can take great encouragement from their turnaround over the past year.
“I think it can go further,” she said when asked where this squad could go over the next 12 months.
She added: "It's really exciting that we've come off eight [wins] out of 11 - I don't know when the last time we would've been able to say that was, and we've got some great games coming up in the friendlies, WXV and in the Six Nations we've got three home games that are all really competitive.
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“It puts us on a great platform to keep building and also get used to being in those tight games because when we get to the World Cup, it could be that last minute that you need to dig deep.
“The fact we'll have played so many competitive games in the build-up is only going to put us in that good place to come out on top in those stressful situations.”
Konkel is well used to being in stressful situations, on and off the rugby pitch. Her experience could be invaluable to Scotland as they build towards another Rugby World Cup next year.
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