JUST THE START

Scots well beaten - but proud skipper has hope

- By STUART BATHGATE

CAPTAIN Rachel Malcolm admitted Scotland had been well below their best as they were overrun 40-8 by World Cup favourites England in yesterday’s quarterfinal.

But the 34-year-old flanker insists the squad made real progress over the tournament, with a record win over Wales and a battling victory against Fiji in the pool stage.

And she reckons the group has a lot more potential than they showed on a rainy afternoon in Bristol.

She said: “Post-match, hugely disappointed.

“This group and the work we’ve done probably deserved a slightly better performance than we put in. But we always knew it was going to be a pretty tough ask coming up against England.

“They are a maul and scrum team - and the conditions kind of played into their hands in that respect.