Originally a promising hockey player with ambitions of representing Scotland, it was a touch rugby tournament at Stirling County Rugby Club – attended on a whim – that changed her path.

“I always saw myself going on to represent Scotland in hockey but I grew up in a rugby family; my Dad is rugby daft”, said Norval.

“I went to a touch tournament that he was playing in, and it was just really fun. One of the U18 coaches saw me there asked if I wanted to come to training and I did, and I just loved it. It’s been a quick two years; I’ve just caught the bug!”

Since then, her rise has been swift. Norval has earned a spot in the Vodafone Regional Training Centre and made her Arnold Clark Premiership debut for Stirling County against Heriot’s Blues, a big step up that she took in stride thanks to the trust of her teammates and Head Coach Mark Ainsworth.

“I’ve learned a lot from the more experienced girls at Stirling but the fact they had a lot of confidence in me was really nice to have”, said Norval.

“It was quite nerve-wracking facing that step up but also knowing that Mark had that faith in me as well, was really nice. I’ve definitely learned as a winger you can’t just wait, you have to go looking for the ball and see where I can slot in to get it.”

Norval certainly proved that in Saturday’s Summer Series opener against England, coming close twice to scoring and eventually bagging the team’s second try of the match in the second half.

Emily Norval scored for Scotland in Duhan van der Merwe like fashion against England on Saturday.

Her sharp rugby instincts quickly earned her a place in the Glasgow Warriors side for the Celtic Challenge this season – a competition she hadn’t expected to feature in so early in her career.

“We have quite a lot of girls at Stirling who played for Glasgow in the Celtic Challenge, but I don’t really think I saw it coming for me this year, I thought maybe next season. But it was amazing to be involved.

“Celtic Challenge has been massive for me. Obviously, this has been my first season playing senior rugby, so getting the chance to play against experienced international sides and go up a level has been great.”

“Getting to play alongside people like Mairi McDonald who has played for Scotland Women, and to listen and work with her, was really cool.

“The competition has definitely been beneficial for my game play, I think I’ve really stepped up and gained a lot of maturity from it. I feel in a good place with my rugby. We had a really good Premiership run, obviously we were unlucky in the final, and being involved with Glasgow has definitely brought on my confidence.”

Her on-field maturity and vocal presence have also caught the attention of Head Coach, Louise Dalgliesh. Ahead of the Scotland Women U20 series in Wales, Norval was named as part of a four-player leadership group alongside Merryn Gunderson, Nicole Flynn, and Poppy Fletcher – a role she takes immense pride in.

“It was such a nice phone call to get. To have a coach who sees that sort of quality in you feels amazing,” she said.

“Playing in the back three, I’m often telling people where they need to be and what I can see, so for her [Dalgliesh] to see that leadership quality in me is really nice.”

Left to right: Merryn Gunderson, head coach Louise Dalgliesh and Emily Norval at Caerphilly Castle.

Since last year’s Summer Series, five players have gone on to earn their first senior caps for Scotland, playing in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations this year – Molly Poolman, Rhea Clarke, Lucia Scott, Leia Brebner-Holden and Gemma Bell. Additionally, Hannah Ramsay, Hannah Walker and Aila Ronald all being involved with the senior training squad through the championship and into the Rugby World Cup extended training squad.

“I think it’s so great to see players you’ve played alongside make that step up through the pathway to the national team”, said Norval.

“It just shows you that if you keep working hard, keep training, keep showing up, that it could happen for me. Seeing the girls who have done it from last year’s U20 team is really inspirational as well. It’s nice to see that pathway is there if I keep going at it and keep trying as best as I can.”

Whilst it was a gutsy performance from Scotland Women U20, they were defeated by England 31-17 in their opening game of the Series on Saturday 5 July. Scoring three tries through Norval, Holly McIntyre and Poppy Mellanby, there was a lot that the side will take away to put into their upcoming game against Wales on Friday (11 July, kick-off 6pm).

Speaking after the match on Saturday, Dalgleish said: “We’re really happy with the intent and the bravery the team showed, we connected both in attack and defence and put some really good blocks together. I’m really pleased to see the girls put into practice what we have been working on.

“I think how they managed their discipline in the game was brilliant. To concede less than eight penalties when they were under pressure from England at times was phenomenal. It allowed us to get a bit of a foothold in the game and control some of the elements quite effectively.

“We’ll pick up on some of the bits that didn’t quite go right and make sure that we’re aware of how we might change things and adapt to the different threats, but we’re looking forward to going again on Friday against Wales.”