W6N: Two uncapped players in Scotland squad to face Wales
03/20/2025 11:00 AM
FORMER England Under-20s lock Hollie Cunningham will make her Scotland debut against Wales on Saturday, while Adelle Ferrie, also a lock, is poised to make her appearance off the bench.
As Sarah Bonar is the only capped second-row in the current squad, head coach Bryan Easson was always going to name at least two newcomers in his squad for the Six Nations round-one match at Hive Stadium. In the event, he has opted not to give any other uncapped members of the squad a run-out this time, preferring to go with a largely tried and trusted group.
Anne Young and Ellian Clarke are preferred in the front row to the more experienced Leah Bartlett and Christine Belisle, who are on a 6-2 bench along with back-row forwards Jade Konkel and Alex Stewart. Scrum-half Caity Mattinson and the versatile Evie Wills, who makes a welcome return after a long-term injury, are the two backs replacements.
Cunningham, 25, qualifies for Scotland through an Aberdonian grandmother, and while untried at Test level is a battle-hardened club player, according to Easson. "We’ve had our eye on her for a little while and she’s performed particularly well at Bristol," he said. "She's probably a different style of second row than we’ve had previously: she is abrasive, she’s a hard ball-carrier, she’s very good set-piece-wise as well.
"She’s experienced, she has been involved with England at 20s, she was involved in their Six Nations squad last year as well . . . But she’s really excited to be involved with the group and she’s fitted in really well."
Saturday's game will be a first start in the Championship for both Young and Clarke, but Easson is convinced their time has come. "Anne has been around the group for a long time but she’s grown so much," he said. "She’s a very good rugby player – a very good ball-handler, defensively good, contact is good. She has really improved her set piece. Elliann is another one who’s just growing and getting better week on week."
Ferrie, the Corstorphine Cougars forward who also represented Edinburgh in the Celtic Challenge, has had to fit an increased rugby workload around her day job as a court administrator. “She’s another one who just fights her battles around what she’s good at,” Easson said. “She knows where her strengths lie. She’s worked really hard physically as well. I thought she was excellent in the Celtic Challenge last year, but she’s stepped up this year and she’s physical.
“I think what we’re doing is we’re growing a group of players that are physical, they’re abrasive, they understand set piece – but they’re also good around the pitch, which kind of suits us.”
It was already known that backs Meryl Smith and Coreen Grant would miss the whole Six Nations because of knee injuries, while second-row Emma Wassell is still recovering from surgery on a chest tumour. Uncapped Bristol back Meg Varley has now been added to the injury list because of a hamstring injury and like the others is now targeting a return in time for the World Cup.
Wales, meanwhile, will be without tighthead prop Sisilia Tuipulotu for the whole tournament and are missing back-row forward Alex Callender for the trip to Edinburgh although they hope to have her back for round two or three. New coach Sean Lynn – fresh from masterminding Gloucester-Hartpury's third successive PWR title triumph – has omitted Alisha Butchers, also a back row, from his matchday 23. Lock Alaw Pyrs and props Maisie Davies and Jenni Scoble all make their first start.
Scotland (v Wales at Hive Stadium, Saturday 4.45pm): Chloe Rollie (Trailfinders); Rhona Lloyd (Les Lions du Stade Bordelais), Emma Orr (Bristol Bears), Lisa Thomson (Trailfinders), Francesca McGhie (Leicester Tigers); Helen Nelson (Loughborough Lightning), Leia Brebner-Holden (Loughborough Lightning); Anne Young (Loughborough Lightning), Lana Skeldon (Bristol Bears), Elliann Clarke (Bristol Bears), Hollie Cunningham (Bristol Bears), Sarah Bonar (Harlequins), Rachel Malcolm (unattached, captain), Rachel McLachlan (Montpellier), Evie Gallagher (Bristol Bears). Replacements: Elis Martin (Loughborough Lightning), Leah Bartlett (Leicester Tigers), Christine Belisle (Loughborough Lightning), Adelle Ferrie (Edinburgh/Corstorphine Cougars), Alex Stewart (Edinburgh/Corstorphine Cougars), Jade Konkel (Harlequins), Caity Mattinson (Trailfinders), Evie Wills (Leicester Tigers).
Wales: Jasmine Joyce (Bristol Bears); Lisa Neumann (Harlequins), Hannah Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury, captain), Kayleigh Powell (Harlequins), Carys Cox (Trailfinders); Lleucu George (Gloucester-Hartpury), Keira Bevan (Bristol Bears); Maisie Davies (Gwalia Lightning), Carys Phillips (Harlequins), Jenni Scoble (Gwalia Lightning), Abbie Fleming (Harlequins), Alaw Pyrs (Gwalia Lightning), Kate Williams (Gloucester-Hartpury), Bethan Lewis (Gloucester-Hartpury), Georgia Evans (Saracens). Replacements: Kelsey Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Gwenllian Pyrs (Sale Sharks), Donna Rose (Saracens), Gwen Crabb (Gloucester-Hartpury), Bryonie King (Gwalia Lightning), Meg Davies (Gloucester-Hartpury), Courtney Keight (Bristol Bears), Nel Metcalfe (Gloucester-Hartpury).
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