Malcolm: This has been 12 years in the making

The Scots produced a clinical performance, running in nine tries in the UAE to secure their place in New Zealand this October.

Malcolm, who once again captained Scotland, said this achievement was for everyone who has been involved with the squad since they last qualified 12 years ago.

Speaking to scottishrugby.org, she said: “I’m almost lost for words, I’m ecstatic, I’m so proud.

“The amount we’ve been through as a squad to get to this point and the dominance in the performance we’ve just managed to put in is unbelievable.

“We talked all week about not letting up in terms of our focus and keeping to our processes, our focus, all the boring stuff and not letting up for eighty minutes and that’s exactly what we did.

“It’s probably one of the most clinical performances we’ve ever put out and I’m just so proud of the girls and the management and everyone who has been involved in the programme and I’m not just talking about in the build-up to this game.

“This has been 12 years in the making, people like Shade Munro, who galvanised us and all the women who have pulled on the shirt over the last 12 years have been part of this and I really hope they’ve enjoyed tonight as well, because it’s about them as much as it’s about us.”

Scotland Head Coach, Bryan Easson, added: “I’m so proud of this group of players, the work they’ve put in over the last 18 months, with COVID, with the cancellation of games, with the cancellation of Rugby World Cup qualifiers so many times, to then be able to compete on the grass has been phenomenal.

“I thought the performance tonight was professional from minute one to minute eighty, they didn’t chase the game, they didn’t force the game, they did exactly as we’d discussed from this morning and for the whole two weeks building up to that game, so I’m very proud.”