Move over battle of the sexes; here’s one sport where males and females compete together on equal footing.

Touch rugby may not be as well-known as our other national sports, but it’s one of the fastest growing in Glasgow.

And while they might not be household names quite yet, meet the players representing Scotland at the sports’ pinnacle tournament; the Touch Rugby World Cup in Malaysia this month.

Three men and two women from the Glasgow Lions will pull on their national shirts with pride as they take on the world’s best teams in the heat of Kuala Lumpur between 29 April - 4 May.

During the club’s latest training session, four of the five players shared their preparations and hopes for the tournament.

Dominic Wilde, 41, will be the most experienced player across Scotland’s three squads at the World Cup, having competed in a trio of previous major tournaments.

Playing in the Mixed 30s squad, where teams have a minimum of three women on the field at any one time, Dominic says of representing his country: “It’s a massive honour and it all comes down to the people who put you there… your family and club mates.”

With gender equality a positive selling point for the sport, Lion’s player and chairperson, Keith Moir, says: “Touch is one of the few sports where men and women play in the same team and this is a key aspect. It’s not necessarily about pace and power, but the ability to manipulate a defence and execute skill under pressure.”

Already Malaysia-bound is New Zealand-born Lions player Ross Mawdesley, 28, who’ll play in the Men’s Open squad. Teammate Cameron Hart, 27, is realistic yet hopeful about the squad’s chances. “It’ll be tough,” he says. “We’ve got Australia in our group stages, who’ve been returning world champions for the past 20 years.”

Both Scotland's Men's and Women's groups include England, Japan and Samoa. “We’re one of only two teams in our group from Europe,” adds Cameron. “So the draw gives us a chance to play teams we’d only meet every four years at the World Cup.”

While Australia and New Zealand are the sport’s toughest teams to beat, Scotland’s Men’s Open Squad is proudly ranked number eight by the Touch International Federation.

Alex Watson and Carmen Cree, both 27, are teammates in Scotland’s Women’s Open squad. Alex took up touch rugby three years ago, having previously tried her hand at rugby league, and a dedication to the sport has earned her a prized spot at the World Cup.

Alex says: “We’re hoping to do the very best we can. We’ve also got a really tough group and we come up against England who were last year’s European champions.”

Another challenge facing the players is Kuala Lumpar’s seasonal 30 degree temps. In preparation for the city’s humidity, they've been training at Glasgow University’s heat chamber facility to build up extra stamina.

Having fallen in love with touch rugby when looking for a social actively to test her fitness, Carmen says, “I joined the Lions as a way of getting away from the stresses of the working day.” Now, as an instinctive leader on and off the field in her role as Glasgow Lions co-captain, Carmen is a natural choice for Scotland’s Women's number six shirt.

To find out about joining and training with the Glasgow Lions, email membership@glasgowlions.co.uk.