After our World Cup in August,  many of our more experienced squad members decided to have a break from rugby or hang up their boots for good, but for the rest of us it was a couple of weeks off then back into preparation for this competition. 

A series of trial matches and training weekends, as well as a friendly in Spain and a training match against the British Army, have given our new-look squad a chance to get to know each other on and off the pitch and begin the build-up for the season ahead; it’s certainly kept us busy. 

Having our first match away to France was an experience that everyone was looking forward to, and following our win against them in the opening match last year, there was a real buzz in the camp as it approached. 

Although I think many of the younger players were equally excited at sharing a charter flight to Paris with the men’s side! 

Traditionally, France can be a bit of an unknown entity and it is very difficult to predict how they will perform. 

We very quickly found out that even with several new caps they were ready to hit the ground running in this year’s campaign as they raced into an early lead. 

With the scoreboard showing a 34-3 advantage to the hosts at half time, it was a difficult job picking ourselves up for the next 40 minutes. 

The second-half performance did improve however, with a more solid defensive line and far fewer missed tackles. 

There were some positives to take from the game but it highlighted the challenges we will face in the tournament and the amount of work that still needs to be done. 

Saturday saw us travel home with the under-20 and club international sides, comparing injuries and sharing stories of the previous evening’s matches passing much of the time.

After a recovery session and some light training on the Sunday, it was back to the normality of work on Monday morning. 

Aside from the usual struggle of facing a full week of work, the aches and pains, catching up on work from the previous week and telling all my enquiring pupils about the heavy loss, having the worry of selection on my mind made the day even worse than normal! 

This time of year is always a balancing act, putting the hours in at work, making midweek training and taking time off for matches all result in a lot of pressure and very, very little time for a social life! 

There are a wide range of professions across our squad including teachers, police officers, students and a range of others but the challenge we all share is ensuring our employers support our selection and allow us the time off. 

After work finishes on Friday our focus will be back on rugby and our first home match this weekend against Wales. 

Scotland women haven’t played in Glasgow often so this will be a great opportunity to generate a lot of home support and hopefully put in a much better performance to give everyone something to cheer about!