Black Isle rugby star Konkel excited for Six Nations challenge with Scotland
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Former Inverness Craig Dunain player Jade Konkel is looking forward to the challenge of this year’s Six Nations with Scotland.
The 26-year-old is in Spain this weekend with the Scotland squad for a training camp to prepare for the first Six Nations match against Ireland at the start of next month.
But the fixture list has not been kind to the Scots, with them facing only the two tournament favourites – England and France – at home.
For Konkel, who plays for Harlequins after a year at Lille Metropole, those two home games are a chance to test herself against former team-mates.
“We definitely play better against them at home, which obviously bodes well for us,” Konkel said.
“They’re both in the top five in the world rankings, so to actually be able to play them at home, hopefully we can take points away from them.
“It’s always exciting to play them.
“I’ll be playing against old teammates, and the same with England, they have loads of current Harlequins players. It will be really fun to play them.”
Last year’s Six Nations was not a successful one for Scotland.
They lost every game, only picking up a single losing bonus point against Wales in a 17–15 defeat.
Against Ireland, Scotland suffered a 22–5 reverse at Scotstoun, but over in the Emerald Isle this time Konkel is optimistic about their chances.
“It’s a perfect opportunity to showcase what we’ve been working on,” she insisted.
“All three away games this year – Italy, Ireland and Wales – should be really competitive. “If we can fight until the last minute, really try and get our moves in play, be physical and step up, that will put us in good stead for the year to come.”
On a personal note, Konkel will be paying particular attention to her statistics.
“A lot of it is making sure that my carries are dominant, that I’m making metres,” she added.
“That will come from focusing on being a little bit more evasive when I catch the ball, like my leg-drag-through, my work on the deck.
“From a tackling point of view it might be getting my foot in close, have I been more dominant, is it low or high.”
Read more rugby news here.
