women
international women
Sarah Bonar is delighted to be returning to ua Scotland shirt after a “rollercoaster” 12 months with an injury that left her at times wondering if she would ever play at the top level again.
Between women Rugby World Cup quarter final vs England in Bristol last September and on Saturdays WXV Global Series game with New Zealand just went to edinburgh, second row dealing with a complex back problem.
Her only playing time during that period was when she played 20 minutes off the bench Harlequins at the end of last season and then ran out for the Barbarians vs Wales in June.
And indeed, there have been so many ups and downs over the past year that Bonar, now 32, “didn’t know if a return was possible or not” to international rugby.
However, she is now back and bagged 52 from the bench as the Black Ferns won 66-14 at the Hive Stadium.
“It was an absolute rollercoaster,” she admitted.
“It’s been a rollercoaster for four years with various injuries, let alone this one, but this one was probably the hardest and sometimes I didn’t know if a comeback was possible or not.
“I have had recurring back problems for a significant part of my career.
“At the World Cup I was coming back from a broken foot to play in the tournament.
“It was eight weeks from that operation to playing and it took its toll and eventually my back took the strain.
“As for the back injury, we tried after the World Cup to be a bit conservative. It didn’t work and I ended up needing surgery.
“Thankfully, touch wood, we’re in a better place than at the end of it and the medical team at Scottish Rugby have been class and got me back to track fitness.
“We are back hopefully and we hope we can stay for a while longer.
“I think the thought of playing for Scotland again is probably the only thing that has kept me going through rehab at times.
“I missed the moments that people don’t see the most: moments in the locker room, training, just being in camp with the girls. Going back to those moments definitely motivated me during the tough times.”
“Playing for Scotland means the world, it means everything to me.”
Bonar has been a mainstay in the Scotland squad since 2016 but, as she noted, the former top rower from Aberdeen had plenty of injuries to contend with during that time.
There were a few bumps in the road in the early days and then she missed out on the 2023 Women’s tournament. Six Nations with a collarbone injury before returning to help the national team win WXV 2 tournament in South Africa later that year.
She then started the inaugural Women’s Six Nations in 2024 in Wales, but went off with a shoulder injury and missed the rest of the competition with the aforementioned foot and back injuries coming up since then.
Bonar and Scotland are getting ready again Australia in Košnica on Saturday.
The teams are in similar places in the world rankings, so it’s a game Dave Butcher’s side can win if they get things right, but Scotland have won just one of seven Tests this year and one of their last nine overall.
“Defensively we have to get off the line against Australia,” Bonar said.
“We have to consistently stop them at the source, and it’s about keeping that ball and playing smart with it.
“We have to build our set piece and take advantage of opportunities when we can.
“We’ve had a lot of management and coaching changes and it’s just about trying to get some consistency in our performance. We’re building though and it’s starting to come.”
“There were patches over the weekend where we were able to keep New Zealand out and when we held onto the ball we were able to string some exciting phases of the game together. We just need to be far more consistent.”
Meanwhile, interim head coach Butcher is delighted to have someone with Bonar’s experience back in the mix, saying: “We’ve kept her for another week to make sure she’s fully fit.
“For the last two weeks she has been absolutely eager to play and is a great person to have in the team.
“Sarah just brings a wealth of knowledge and energy and she did that when she came out against New Zealand.
“It’s great to have her back and we hope to get a few more back after injuries for Australia.
“It just helps the depth that we have, not only in games, but it makes practice more and more competitive for us.”
