Fresh faces as Scots defend WXV2 crown
Head coach Bryan Easson has named four uncapped players in his 30-strong Scotland Women squad for the WXV2 competition in South Africa.
The Scots won the inaugural staging last year and will face Italy, Japan and Australia this time around in the tournament which also serves as the final qualifier for the 2025 Rugby World Cup.
Three of the uncapped players – Aila Ronald, Lucia Scott and Leia Brebner-holden – featured for Scotland Under-20 in the Six Nations Summer Series, while the fourth, centre Rachel Philipps, signed recently for Sale Sharks after playing for Edinburgh in the Celtic Challenge.
Influential forwards Jade Konkel and Sarah Bonar both return after injury, Konkel for the first time since last year’s WXV2, and Bonar after a shoulder injury sustained against Wales in the Six Nations. Lisa Thomson is also included after being part of the Great Britain Sevens squad at the Paris Olympics.
Scotland will host Wales and Fiji at the Hive in Edinburgh on September 6 and 14 to prepare for WXV2 before heading to Cape Town where the tournament will be staged. They open their campaign against Italy at DHL Stadium on September 28, then play Japan and Australia at Athlone Stadium on October 5 and 12, respectively.
The match against Fiji will be the first time the countries have met. Fiji first began competing on the international stage in 2006. Scotland squad Forwards: L Bartlett, C Belisle, S Bonar, E Clarke, L Cockburn, E Donaldson, E Gallagher, J Konkel, R Malcolm, E Martin, F Mcintosh, R Mclachlan, L Skeldon, A Ronald, A Stewart, E Wassell, A Young. Backs: L Brebnerholden, C Grant, C Mattinson, M Mcdonald, F Mcghie, R Lloyd, H Nelson, E Orr, R Philipps, L Thomson, C Rollie, L Scott, M Smith.