When Chloe Rollie won her first home cap for Scotland in the 2015 Women’s Six Nations, the match was played in front of a few hundred fans at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld.
Two years later, Rollie and fellow Borderer Lisa Thomson became just the second and third female Scottish players to earn full-time contracts, following Jade Konkel to Lille Metropole Rugby Club Villeneuvois.
Even then, Rollie admits a squad of full-time professionals and a sell-out crowd in Scotland felt a long way off.
Now Scotland will welcome a record crowd to Hive Stadium on Saturday when they host England, the world’s number one team, in round three of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.
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Rollie said: “I think back then it was a possibility, but even then it was years in advance. Even last year I thought ‘maybe in two, three, four years’ time we’ll get a sold-out Hive’
“But coming in this year and getting the news that it’s sold out - I was so happy.
“I’m excited to hopefully go out there and play against England in front of a full crowd and experience that atmosphere. It’ll be cool.”
Rollie acknowledges a lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to promote the women’s game, but says the rise in attendances is also down to the work put in on the pitch.
Scotland’s win over Wales to kick off the championship was their seventh in a row – a record-breaking run that included the WXV 2 title win in South Africa last October.
Their winning streak was ended by France, but the 15-5 score was a huge improvement on last year’s 55-0 drubbing.
READ MORE: Five things we learned as Scotland run France close
Rollie added: "It shows exactly where Scottish rugby and the Scottish women’s team is getting pushed to.
“It shows how much hard work we’ve put into the game and into showing our brand of rugby - and how we want to play and inspire the next generation and keep everything going and ticking over.
“It shows how much work has been put in across the board to get us to where we are now.
“The Hive being sold out is testament to how interested people are in us as a team and as a union.”
Since making her debut nine years ago, Rollie has been a mainstay of the Scotland side at fullback. Until the Wales match, she had started all 61 of her Scotland caps.
An ankle injury meant she was touch-and-go to be fit for the championship, and she had to make do with a spot on the bench for the first two rounds, but is expected to reclaim the number 15 jersey this weekend.
“It’s been tough,” the 28-year-old said.
“It’s been a big change for me, starting 61 games and then being on the bench. Being injured 10 weeks before the Six Nations didn’t help anything at all, and Meryl [Smith] came in at training and trained well.
"That was quite tough to take, but again, it happens. It’s rugby, it’s sport, it happens.
“But I’ve been focusing on me - what I can do, how I can get better, to get back on the pitch - what I need to do to get that shirt back. That’s definitely what I'm striving for.”
Scotland’s record against the Auld Enemy in the Women’s Six Nations makes for grim reading.
The aggregate score during Rollie’s time is 481 to 43 in favour of the Red Roses. Those results include an 80-0 demolition at Twickenham in 2019, while England have scored a half century in each of the last five meetings.
Rollie says the task this year is to keep improving the performances.
"We've definitely got a lot more confidence behind us than we'd usually have,” the Loughborough Lightning fullback said.
“I think in the past we've maybe said about having confidence but we've gone on the pitch and not had it.
"Yes England are the number one team in the world so it's never going to be easy - they have strong ball carriers and fast backs - but whatever happens on the day will happen."
A third-place finish in the championship would secure Scotland qualification to the top tier of WXV, and to next year’s Rugby World Cup.
That is the squad’s ultimate goal for the campaign, which concludes with trips to Parma and Belfast.
“When we came into Six Nations camp, Bryan [Easson, head coach] stood up and said that's our goals, WX1 and World Cup qualification.
“Those are things that have never gone out of our mind.”
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