The last three Scottish ladies I saw performing together on the same stage were appearing courtesy of the wit and wisdom of the great William Shakespeare.

Yes the great bard knew a thing or two about Tartan trios, and whilst this writer cannot claim to be in his league, I reckon I know a little bit more about rugby than the bearded wonder.

One of  Shakespeare’s greatest works, Macbeth, could perhaps also be considered relevant to three more benevolent Scots, Debs McCormack, Jade Konkel and Chloe Rollie of Harlequins Women.

ACT 1 Scene 1:  “Where shall we three meet again in thunder, lightning, or in rain?  when the hurlyburly ‘s done, when the battle ‘s lost and won”

Well these three have been through quite a few battles together, in the thistled jersey of Scotland as well as the Jestered apparel of Harlequins, I don’t think the great writer was referring to Loughborough Lightning , in act one, scene one, but you never know.

The three ladies have much in common, all three are affable modest and self effacing individuals, Chloe Rollie could side step you in a phone box, whilst Jade Konkel, who to use a quote of the late great Bill McLaren, “tackles like the crack of doom”, would just smash the phone box into tiny pieces, Debs McCormack would probably do both disciplines and with a smile on her face.

All three hail from entirely different backgrounds Edinburgh, Inverness and Gillingham, but apart from the geographical variations there are many rugby similarities, Debs has 31 caps, Jade 36 and Chloe 30.

During their rugby journey all three have also plied their trade overseas, Jade and Chloe having played for Lille Metropole in France, whilst Debs played in Australia for the Sydney outfit Eastern Suburbs, where in one match she had the Temerity to score a hat trick of tries, a feat that nearly got her drummed out of the second row union for showing far too much pace and flair.

ACT 5 Scene 3:  “The mind I sway by and the heart I bear shall never sag with doubt   nor shake with fear”

On the injury front the two forwards have suffered the mental and physical effects of lengthy lay offs and gruelling rehab, indeed Debs is still dealing with the legacy of a neck/shoulder injury sustained 14 months ago, her stoicism and patience, without a hint of self pity, have been amazing to witness, a comeback is hopefully due very soon, Jade missed a huge chunk of last season after shoulder surgery, I don’t know what they put in during that operation but it appears to have made those famous “Rhino” charges even more destructive.

Chloe joined Quins this season and has lit up the Premiership with her silken running, the intrusions into the line have been surgically precise scoring and setting up tries in equal measure, her blistering speed is breathtaking and there are rumours that when she plays at the Stoop she sets off all the speed cameras on the A316.

ACT 4 Scene 1:   “Be bloody bold and resolute laugh to scorn”

Whilst Jade and Chloe are both professionals, Debs has to balance university and a job along with all the demands of top class rugby, needless to say she does not enjoy an awful lot of downtime, her dedication is mind boggling.

Scotland will be gearing up for Women’s Rugby World Cup qualification matches next autumn and this tartan trio will surely play a big part in that challenge, Debs is out of the international equation at the moment due to her injury battle but I feel sure if she can get just get a decent run of games for Quins that outlook will change, class is permanent as the saying goes.

As the Tyrrells Premiership takes an international break, this triumvirate  will be giving it their all on the field of play, in the gym, on the training ground, and in gruelling rehab. Their names are already justifiably immortalised in Harlequins and Scottish rugby history, a feat achieved whilst maintaining the values of our great game, and I cannot pay them a greater tribute than that, on a personal note to count them as my friends is an even greater privilege.

I leave the final word to the great bard himself.

“Come the three corners of the world in arms, and we shall shock them”

Previous articles and interviews with Debs and Jade are available on the website http://www.thesportsdragon.com

There is a Peculiar feeling when World Cup tournaments come to an end, an emptiness, a void that is difficult to fill, weeks and months even years of hope and expectation suddenly evaporate, and we are left with the vagaries of so called normal life.

The land of the rising sun finally reached dusk last Saturday, as South Africa lifted the trophy in Yokohama.

Cheslin Kolbe’s feet had barely touched the ground before the rugby circus had packed up its tent, and the mass migration to Hanenda airport had commenced.

But as the sun sets in the east, a new dawn has already risen in the west, as France take over the RWC torch for 2023.

As Bak-San scrubs off the last vestiges of body paint, despite the sadness our lives all feel that little bit richer for our holiday romance with Japan.

Six weeks ago many of us knew very little about Vasily Artemyev, or Kotaro Matsushima, but they are now firmly etched into our rugby memory banks, along with the sights sounds and screams of flying Fijians, sinking Scots and wounded Welshmen.

A new rugby cycle is about to begin, after a whole host of international farewells including Warren Gatland, Steve Hansen, Guilhem Guirado, Louis Picamoles and Wayne Barnes and many more.

This time next year the draw for RWC 2023 takes place in Paris.

The 10th Rugby World Cup begins in the French capital on September 8 2023, and ends on October 21.

Forty five days of gum ulcerating baguettes, only soothed by a decent chateauneuf du Pape but boy the French do these tournaments so well, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean it will be a feast both on and off the field, the nine host stadiums span the length and breadth of country from the mountains to the seas.

So as the bullet train prepares to make way for the TGV, it’s time to take a deep breath, let us all hope we are spared to do it all again in four years time, and who knows maybe even Brexit will be sorted by then.

Despite what Lionel Ritchie says Sunday mornings have been anything but easy for Wales fans this last month.

In fact the day of rest has become, in ascending, order the day of pride, the day of relief, and the day of heartbreak after matches against Australia France and South Africa, all of which have taken place on Sunday mornings during this Rugby World Cup.

Spending Sunday afternoons in a mentally exhausted haze had become the norm, and yesterday was the last and ultimately the hardest to deal with.

South Africa proved to be a step too far for Warren Gatland and his men, and whilst Sunday morning became a Sunday mourning, the gut wrenching disappointment is masked with huge pride for what Wales have acheived.

As in 2011 we dared to dream of making the final, and at half time yesterday Wales were only three points adrift their injury toll lengthened, but the dream was still alive and with five minutes to go with the scores level at 16-16.

Alun Wyn cracked at the post match interview and as his eyes welled up the whole nations bottom lip quivered, the bond between the national team and its fans has never been stronger, and that collective spirit will be a huge comfort in the days weeks and months ahead.

For Wales this is not end, the future looks bright, but at the moment the immediate past is proving rather difficult to process and accept.

To add insult to injuries Wales have to face New Zealand in four days time in a meaningless 3rd/4th place play off match, with the casualties the men in red have incurred the team that takes the field will be nowhere near full or even half strength, surely it would be far better to leave the tournament following a brutal physical encounter with pride at the semi final stage.

By this time next week we will know the winners of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and if anyone cares, who indeed who has come third and fourth.

Sunday mornings will now change dramatically, they are going be an awful lot more relaxing from now on, we won’t be emotionally wrung out by noon, and may even able to hold a coherent conversation by mid afternoon, but you know what, in a strange and sadistic way we ain’t half going to miss them.

Monday mornings are hell on earth, especially at this time of year when they can be awfully tough to deal with.

A wet cold dark start to the working week is hard going at anytime, but the day after a Rugby World Cup quarter final feelings and emotions are accentuated to the maximum.

This morning when the Welsh nation awakes, the wind and the rain will not sting quite so badly, and the early hours darkness will not blacken this ancient land as much as usual.

Wales have reached the Rugby World Cup semi finals, quite how they managed it none of us are really sure, I denied my country three times yesterday as a France victory was looking more and more inevitable, but Wales did win 20-19, in a match that surely holds the world record for the number of people watching a game from behind the sofa.

Upholstery repairers will be doing a roaring trade this week to get the three piece suites back to prime condition in time for Sundays semi final against South Africa.

Many Welsh fans are still awaiting the return of their furniture after the Australia game, which produced an awful lot of living room casualties.

France yesterday lived up to every rugby cliché that has ever been thrown at them, which France team would turn up ? well it turned out to be an awfully good one, but their indiscipline and composure cost them big time, resulting in them losing their cliché battle 2-1.

Maybe there is such a thing as rugby karma after all, in RWC 2011 France beat Wales by a single point and Wales received a red card.

In RWC 2019 Wales beat France by a single point and France received a red card.

So as you await the repair of your DFS triple seater,spare a thought for the poor French fans “Chaise Lounge” that have probably been well and truly wrecked and beyond repair.

I wonder how many times you have heard the phrase “Which French team will turn up” this week ? Probably as many times as you’ve seen Sam Warburton’s red card revisited on every media platform known to mankind. 

Wales face France on Sunday in the Rugby World Cup quarter finals, it’s hard to believe that eight years have elapsed that rainy night in Auckland when a nation wept after losing a semi final to France 9-8 whilst playing with fourteen men for 63 minutes.

Many thought the chance of World Cup glory might never come again but here Wales are 240 minutes away from potential glory the like  of which the country has never witnessed before.

France are just being France at a World Cup, strife in the camp with captain falling out with coach, a full back returning home injured only to turn out for his club a few days later in the Top 14, and who knows what else has been going on behind the scenes, but Wales beware this is when les Bleus are at their most dangerous.

There appears to be a quiet calm in the Welsh camp, a settled side that have overcome the Cymric rollercoaster of emotional ups and downs that were a trademark of the national team and its followers, they don’t panic when they fall behind  anymore,they know how to close out games and they appear to be able to get up for the really big occasions.

Despite France dismal record under Noves and Brunel they still have the ability to produce moments of genius, in this tournament they have tended to have produced them in the opening quarter of their matches before gradually unravelling into a shambles by the time the final whistle had blown.

Wales will hope that this vein of form will continue until Sunday at least,

In this years Six Nations encounter in Paris France dominated the first half racing into a 16-0 in the rain and icy sleet of Saint Denis before imploding into a soggy mess in the second half.

In 2011 the Welsh nation wept with sadness and pride some of us are hoping that rugby karma will take us and Wales into a blissful week where we can continue to dream.

Sunday’s Teams

Vasily Grigorievch Artemyev was one of the surprise stars of RWC 2019, the “Moscow Express” charmed and delighted everyone with his post match interviews conducted in a Russian/Irish hybrid drawl, that had listeners bemused and fascinated in equal measure.

Zelenograd is a city that was built in the environs of Moscow in 1958, under the old Soviet Union regime, it has developed as a centre of electronics and computer industry, known as Russia’s Silicon Valley, the emblem of the city is a squirrel, it was here that Vasily Artemyev was born.

A rugby star could have been lost to the arts, as Artemyev learned  ballet at the age of six, his grandad’s sister was a ballerina with the world reknowned Bolshoi, so instead of a rip roaring full back there could well have been an alternative Billy Elliotski.

Aged 15 his parents wanted him to learn English so he went to Blackrock College in that delightful town on the edge of Dublin Bay, why Ireland ? well the story goes that it was cheaper than either England or New Zealand.

He was due to spend a year in Ireland but ended up staying for seven playing in the Leinster schools final at Lansdowne Road in 2006.

After graduating from Blackrock, he entered University College Dublin to study Law, a return to Russia in 2009 was followed by a move to England on 2011 when Vasily joined Northampton Saints, scoring a hat trick of tries on his debut against Saracens in the LV Cup.

In 2011 he left England, and joined Krasny Yar where he has played ever since.

Having played for Ireland age at youth level his Russian international debut came on February 7 2009 in an 18-14 win against Portugal in Lisbon, 89 caps and 29 tries later he is still going strong.

After losing to Ireland in Japan coach Lyn Jones gave his verdict on Vasily at the post match press conference.

” May I apologise for his moustache what a great character he is, a great captain, great person and an example to any captain in world rugby”

As Russia headed home after exiting the 2019 Rugby World Cup at the pool stage, there is no doubt that the man from Zelenograd had been one of the characters of RWC 2019.

In Ancient Rome the colour red symbolised blood and courage, whilst in China, it is regarded as a vibrant optimistic colour symbolising success, happiness and warmth, along with good luck and wealth.

In Wales the colour red has been a symbol of our nationality, and heritage, the Red Dragon on our national flag, the red shirted heroes of our national rugby team.

But on a damp night at Eden Park, Auckland, on 15 October 2011, the colour red came to symbolise the end of a glorious dream, the cruel twist of fate that cost Wales the place in a Rugby World Cup final for the first time in their history.

With Nineteen minutes on the clock, Sam Warburton upended France’ Vincent Clerc, referee Alain Rolland pulled a card from his pocket, the colour ? Red.

Fast forward to 2019, in Japan the colour red is believed to bring good luck particularly when paired with white.

The red packaging of Kit Kat has made the chocolate a good luck token to the Japanese and it is a popular gift for students at exam time.

So far the colour red is doing rather well at the Rugby World Cup maybe a few kit Kat’s could be delivered to the Wales squad currently residing in Otsu, as they prepare to face further stern examinations and tests next week and hopefully beyond.

Fire and passion are also associated with the colour red, both of which were visible by the bucket load when Wales beat Australia in Tokyo in one of the most thrilling and brutal games of the tournament so far, a result that has given Wales a huge foothold in their ascent to the world crown.

Next up are Fiji, on Wednesday followed by Uruguay on Sunday, five days which will determine the men in red’s World Cup future.

Under Warren Gatland there will not be a single morsel of complacency, Welsh fans still shudder at the mere mention of Fiji which evokes memories of Nantes 2007 for which many of us are still getting flashbacks in the dead of night,

There is still a long way to go in the 2019 tournement and we dare not get involved in the arithmetical accumulation of fowl, but maybe,  just maybe the colour red will, be the colour in which we Welsh will paint the town on November 2 ?… now where’s that Kit Kat ?

On the morning of March 11 2011 an earthquake struck Japan leaving a small coastal town 500 miles north of Tokyo devastated  by the resulting tsunami.

In a town with a population of 35,000 people 1,300 lost their lives, to bring rugby into the equation may seem crass and inappropriate, but in the months that followed the total devastation, locals wanted to give the town a sense of purpose, a start to the healing process and restore pride, rugby was at the very heart of the process.

The Kamaishi Recovery stadium was built on the exact spot where the local school was washed away.

Stadium director Takeshita Nagata “We wanted to build something that would symbolise hope for the future, it’s not just rebuilding something physically it’s about rebuilding hearts”.

Last Wednesday a group of men from 11,500 miles away ensured that Kamaishi will always be remembered for a joyous uplifting heart pounding event to counteract that soul and life destroying event of March 2011.

Before Wednesday’s game, local woman Rui Horaguchi (pictured above) gave an emotional account of the tsunami that swept away her home, and her school, which once stood on the site where the new stadium has been built.

“My house was washed away in the waves, and after that I remember we had donations from across the world”

“It is all of that support that allowed us to look forward, and once it was decided that Kamaishi would host the Rugby World Cup there was huge increase in the construction of the city”

“That was when we began to understand why Kamaishi was chosen, to help grow the area again, this has really helped the community to come together, and I am hopeful that we will maintain that unity to make it even better”

For once the gods smiled kindly on Kamaishi a glorious sunny day with a temperature of 22 degrees and a rugby match that is now enshrined in Rugby World Cup history.

Sport has an amazing power to unite and inspire, and more often than not it can provide comfort and a platform for healing, Rui Horaguchi and the people of Kamaishi will never forget March 11 2011, but thankfully they will also never forget September 25 2019, when the rugby world held them in its arms in the warm Japanese sunshine, and for a short while everything was alright with the world.

There are glorious rugby days with the warm autumn sun on your back, when the world seems a wonderful place, Saturday afternoon at the Stoop was such a day.

Harlequins Women started their 2019/20 Tyrrells Premier season with a side full of players and combinations being tried and tested for the first time.

From minute one Quins played with a dynamism backed up by immense physicality and accuracy that sometimes took your breath away, their power and pace blew away a Richmond side that battled bravely and never gave up, but I don’t think any team could have lived with Harlequins on Saturday’s form.

A true United Nations outfit with Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, France, Sweden and Italy represented, scored fifteen tries to pass the century mark as records tumbled at the Stoop.

Irish eyes were smiling when Anna Caplice went over for a try on her debut within the first three minutes, and when Green converted a try by Brown after seven minutes we knew we were in for a colourful occasion.

Quins earned their four try bonus point after only fourteen minutes, nine tries in the first half gave them a 61-0 lead at the interval.

The second half showed no let up as ruthless Quins continued their assault on the scoreboard, six second half tries gave the home side an 101-0 victory.

Ellie Green had the eyes of sharpshooter converting thirteen of the fifteen tries including  one of her own in the 20th minute, her matchday total accumulating 31 points.

The season has a long way to run but Harlequins Women have set down a marker that sent shockwaves through social media on Saturday evening, bearing in mind internationals Burford, Riley, McCormack, Petersson and Cornborough will also become available in the near future, the completion for places will ensure that standards are not only maintained but improved.

Its going to be one heck of a ride.

QUINS CENTURY OF SCORING

Timeline Of Tries

3 Mins.   Anna Caplice

7m.   Shaunagh Brown

10m.    Lucy Packer

14m.   Jess Breach

20m.    Ellie Green

25m.    Leah Lyons

32m.    Chloe Rollie

38m.     Emily Scott

40m.     Khadi  Camara

41m.     Shaunagh Brown

52m.     Jade Konkel

63m.     Abbie Scott

70m.     Amy Cockayne

75m.      Emma Swords

80m.       Chloe Rollie

It has finally arrived, after months of anticipation the wall charts are blue tacked to the kitchen units, fridges are full and we are ready to embrace a Rugby World Cup in the land of the rising scrum.

For Wales going into a Rugby World Cup as potential winners is a totally new experience, but they dare not think too far ahead, and for now, like Ray Charles, they’ve only got Georgia on their mind.

A nation that borders Azerbajan, Russia, Armenia and Turkey in one of the most volatile regions of the world, is not going to be passive and take too much nonsense, physicality will be their main weapon particularly at scrum time.

Mikheil Nariashvili, the Montpellier prop, is one of the best loose heads in the game, hewn from the rocks of the Caucasus he is so tough it is said he can even break Tonka toys.

Fellow Montpellier lock Konstantin Mikautadze has turned out for the Barbarians and at 6ft 7ins and 20 stone his line out presence will be notable, although you can only feel sympathy for his lifters.

The French connection is felt throughout the squad with 16 of the 31 players plying their trade in the Top 14 or Pro D2.

Georgia’s main industries are steel and coal, a throwback to Wales glorious industrial past, and the capital Tblisi is twinned with that other war torn region of the world, Bristol, an unlikely twin you would think.

Wales face Australia on Saturday after a short six day turnaround, so selection will have given Warren Gatland plenty of food for thought, but this is a match they dare not lose.

In 2017 Gatland put out a second string outfit to face Georgia in Cardiff, Wales were very nearly embarrassed, but scraped home 13-6.

It has been yet another roller coaster week in the history of Welsh rugby, after the joyous reception in Kitakyushu, where 15,000 turned up to watch Wales train, but things soon came crashing back down to earth as backs coach Rob Howley was forced to return to Wales, to face an investigation of an alleged breach of World Rugby’s regulation six which covers gambling and anti corruption.

Tomorrow’s match at the City of Toyota stadium will be a tough one and with Australia and Fiji to come things will not get an easier.