The Scotland Women squad for the 2015 RBS 6 Nations includes a mix of experience and relatively newer faces, with a number of players having worked their way through the age grades and progressed from Scotland Women Under 20.
Worcester prop Tracy Balmer captains the squad again, lining up in the front row alongside 71-times capped Heather Lockhart while back row Rachael Cook – who hails from Larbert Academy and was part of the Scotland Women under-20 side who defeated Finland two years ago – will be looking to add to her five caps won last season.
sru
In the backs, stand-off Lisa Martin – who secured the first of her 19 caps as replacement for Scotland’s most capped player, Donna Kennedy, during the latter’s final match at the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup – is joined by Selkirk-born winger Mhairi Grieve, who made her international debut in the away warm-up match against Italy in autumn 2014.
Looking to make their international debuts this season will be outside centre Nuala Deans (Wasps), flanker Jude Telford (Murrayfield Wanderers) and fullback Chloe Rollie (Melrose), the latter who has progressed through schools and youth teams.
Head coach Jules Maxton said: “”We’ve named a squad that’s an exciting mix of experience and youth.”
“The first few months of our season have seen us play Italy away – a valuable experience – stage a number of camps and take part in a training game with the Nomads. All our preparations have gone well and the build-up to the 6 Nations concludes with a camp at the end of this month, before our opening game, away against France.”
The 2014 / 2015 Scotland Women international programme kicked off in early August with a four-day training camp, a two-day camp in September and a three-day camp in October which included a friendly at BT Murrayfield against an Irish Exiles side, won 49-0 by the home side. A second Autumn friendly, away against Italy, took place on Sunday 23 November, backed up with training camps at either end of January.
The sharp end of the senior Scotland Women’s season begins in February (Saturday 7, kick-off 2pm local) in France with their opening match of the 2015 6 Nations, before returning to a new home base in central Scotland.
Following the away opener, the Scots then have two home fixtures, against Wales (Saturday 14 February, kick-off 5pm) and Italy (Sunday 1 March, kick-off 1pm) at the central location of Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld. The home of Clyde FC, with its synthetic surface, hosted the men’s and women’s annual club finals day earlier this season while the pitch at BT Murrayfield was under renovation.
Scotland’s remaining away match is against World Cup winners England, at the Northern Echo Arena in Darlington (Friday 13 March, kick-off 7.35pm) and is the second of a double-header at the stadium that evening, preceded by the under-20 international fixture between Scotland and England.
Finally Scotland return to Broadwood, where they’re at home to Ireland on Sunday 22 March (Kick-Off 13:00 BST).
Scotland Women 6 Nations squad 2015:
Forwards:
- Karen Dunbar (RHC Cougars)
- Deborah McCormack (Richmond)
- Rachael Cook (Watsonians)
- Heather Lockhart (Hillhead Jordanhill)
- Sarah Quick (Murrayfield Wanderers)
- Emma Wassell (Murrayfield Wanderers)
- Lisa Robertson (Murrayfield Wanderers)
- Lana Skeldon (Melrose)
- Christianne Fahey (Murrayfield Wanderers)
- Lyndsay O’Donnell (Worcester)
- Fiona Sim (Saracens)
- Tracy Balmer (Worcester)
- Jade Konkel (Hillhead Jordanhill)
- Lindsey Smith (Hillhead Jordanhill)
- Bridget Millar-Mills (Waterloo)
- Jude Telford (Murrayfield Wanderers)
Backs:
- Lisa Martin (Murrayfield Wanderers)
- Gillian Inglis (Melrose)
- Nuala Deans (Wasps)
- Emma McBride (Hillhead Jordanhill)
- Claire Bain (RHC Cougars)
- Sarah Law (Murrayfield Wanderers)
- Chloe Rollie (Melrose)
- Eilidh Sinclair (Murrayfield Wanderers)
- Jenny Maxwell (Lichfield)
- Abi Evans (Northumbria University)
- Mhairi Grieve (RHC Cougars)
- Hannah Smith (Hillhead Jordanhill)
- Hannah Sloan (Stewartry)
Womens RBS 6 Nations 2015 fixtures:
- Saturday 7 February: France Women vs Scotland Women, Stade Henri Desgranges, La Roche sur Yon (Kick-Off 14:00 French Time, 12:00 BST, 14:00 GMT)
- Saturday 14 February: Scotland Women vs Wales Women, Broadwood Stadium (Kick-Off 17:00 BST & GMT) – Adult tickets £5, concessions FREE
- Sunday 1 March: Scotland Women vs Italy Women, Broadwood Stadium (Kick-Off 13:00 BST & GMT) – Adult tickets £5, concessions FREE
- Friday 13 March: England Women vs Scotland Women, Northern Echo Arena, Darlington (Kick-Off 19:35 BST & GMT)
- Sunday 22 March: Scotland Women vs Ireland Women, Broadwood Stadium (Kick-Off 13:00 BST & GMT) – Adult tickets £5, concessions FREE