Borders pair help Team GB women’s rugby sevens side make it to 2024 Olympics in France

Hawick’s Lisa Thomson – one of three Scots in the Souter head coach’s team for the final, along with Shona Campbell and Rhona Lloyd – all made second-half appearances from the bench to help his side beat their Polish hosts at Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium in Krakow by 33-0 in the final to claim the title and qualification for Paris 2024.

That gives them a chance to make up for missing out on a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after losing to Fiji in their play-off for bronze.

Britain’s women join France, New Zealand, Australia, United States, Ireland and Brazil in having secured qualification for next year’s Olympics, and bronze medallists Czechia and the Poles are still in with a chance of getting there too via repechage.

To make it to the semi-finals, GB topped a pool also home to Norway, Italy and Czechia, then won a quarter-final against Germany by 53-0 and a semi versus Belgium by 36-12.

Welsh-born co-captain Jones, 26, said: “I’m so happy that our journey worked out. It’s a huge sense of relief that everything went to plan.

“We’ve been pushing the boundaries all year and we definitely pushed them there. I’m so buzzing for the girls.

“To have this experience and go out there and achieve what we just did is just a stepping stone in the right direction.

“Paris qualification is exactly what we came for and we’re leaving with it.”

Thomson, 25, is a 51-times-capped Scottish international at XVs as well as being a core member of the GB sevens squad.