Helen Nelson says greater recognition is contributing to a brilliant buzz around the Scottish side ahead of their 2022 TikTok Six Nations opener against England on Saturday.
Vice-captain of her international side, Nelson has won 32 caps since making her debut in 2016 and admits the profile of Scotland’s women’s team has risen significantly since then.
This year’s TikTok Women’s Six Nations is the most accessible in the championship’s history.
Covering 136 countries and available on terrestrial and streaming platforms, the Women’s Championship has never had such comprehensive broadcast coverage.
Not to mention title partner TikTok reaching fans through its entertainment platform with exclusive W6N content.
And Nelson hopes that will only add to the positivity, saying: “Being recognized in cafes and people congratulating us, it motivates us more as athletes.
“When you have that interest from outside it excites you even more and makes me want to make them proud. The media presence has definitely improved since I started playing for Scotland.
“We noticed that a lot last year and now by having TikTok on board it has generated more interest and it’s creating a buzz around camp because we know people are watching, the difference is amazing!”
In what is a huge year for women’s rugby, the TikTok Women’s Six Nations, which once again has its own window in the international rugby calendar, is set to reach more fans than ever before.
And Scotland are well and truly ahead at the moment, with a 59-3 win over Colombia in February securing a place at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand this fall.
Nelson hopes Scotland will gain confidence from the result ahead of a TikTok Six Nations campaign which kicks off against defending champions England, who currently top the world rankings.
“Qualifying for the World Cup was a huge goal,” Nelson said.
“We have new faces like Emma Wassell and Meryl Smith and these young guns are coming in and showing what they can do.
“Now it’s about taking that confidence by qualifying for the World Cup and doing well against the best in the world.”
Scotland assistant coach Tyrone Holmes, 35, added: “I think they are definitely changing a few perspectives and opinions and it’s really exciting to be a part of that. There’s a lot of hard work going into it. has been invested in women’s football and it is growing.
“[Against England] I think we will have to be good on both sides, in attack and defense and give a real clinical performance.
“If we have a performance that we are proud of, the results will happen on their own.”
The TikTok Women’s Six Nations is more accessible than ever. For information on how to watch the Women’s Championship, visit: womens.sixnationsrugby.com/tv/
