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Scotland Women can turn corner says Brown

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Receiving the Wooden Spoon in the RBS 6 Nations would be a low moment in any player’s career but No 8 Susie Brown says that is all the motivation Scotland need heading into the 2012 tournament after this year’s chastening experience.

Receiving the Wooden Spoon in the RBS 6 Nations would be a low moment in any player’s career but No 8 Susie Brown says that is all the motivation Scotland need heading into the 2012 tournament after this year’s chastening experience.

Brown, who plies her trade south of the border with Richmond, is well aware that since the tournament’s inception 16 years ago, Scotland have only finished bottom of the pile twice, in 2008 and last year.

It was a far cry from their 1998 triumph in the former format – the Home Nations championship – although they did record their best finish in its current six-team incarnation as 2003 runners-up.

But, while England and France have held a monopoly on the trophy since that moment of Scottish glory 14 years back, Brown insists her teammates are determined to spark a change of fortunes in the upcoming campaign – with no better place to start than a clash with six-time straight champions, and the auld enemy, England.

“With last year getting the wooden spoon, we really want to turn things around,” said Brown, who received her 50th Scotland cap in the final 2011 RBS 6 Nations match against Italy.

“For anyone playing in the northern hemisphere, it’s the most competitive tournament where you have a genuine chance.

“We’ve got a great team spirit going at the moment and we can’t wait to get started this year.

“Most of the squad are training weekly, and although I’m one of the Exiles based in England, we’ll be having two training camps in Edinburgh in January to get ourselves prepared.

“We’ve been working on a lot of things, and it showed when we had a really strong performance when we travelled to play the Netherlands last month.

“It really makes the difference when we all get together, because we push each other, and we’ll be in great shape for the first game on against England.”