Hannah Jones will captain Wales in the opener this weekend with squad captain Siwan Lillicrap on the bench; Meg Webb returns to side; Scotland will be fielding a team full of World Cup debutantes with no player in their side having experienced the tournament before
Last Updated: 07/10/22 10:11am
Scotland and Wales will face off on Sunday as they get their Rugby World Cup campaigns under way
Scotland and Wales have named their teams for their opening match in the Women’s Rugby World Cup on Sunday, with the Scots opting for a settled line-up while Meg Webb returns for Wales.
The two nations make up Group A alongside New Zealand and Australia and both will be on the hunt to secure a big victory as the group stage gets under way.
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Scotland will be marking a historic moment in Whangarei as they make their return to the World Cup stage for the first time in 12 years and a full team of Rugby World Cup debutantes will be looking to make their mark.
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With a focus on keeping the team settled, Scotland Women head coach Bryan Easson has made only two changes from his side that played the USA in August.
The front-row sees hooker Lana Skeldon alongside Molly Wright and Christine Belisle, while Emma Wassell links up with Sarah Bonar in the second-row.
No 8 Jade Konkel anchors the back-row with captain Rachel Malcolm and Louise McMillan as vice-captain Helen Nelson forms a half-back partnership with Caity Mattinson.
Easson is proud of his team’s work-rate over the last few months and is excited to see them finally in action on Sunday.
“Firstly, we are all just excited to get under way here in Whangarei,” said Easson.
“When the players take to the pitch on Sunday, it will mark a moment that has been 12 years in the making for Scotland Women so it will be incredibly poignant for everyone involved and hopefully for those watching back home too.
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“The work-rate and dedication in our training sessions throughout the summer period and here in New Zealand has been exceptional. It will be crucial that we keep our composure and focus for the full 80 minutes on Sunday.
“Our joint-training session with South Africa last weekend provided an excellent opportunity to analyse and tighten up on certain aspects of our game and I know the players are now raring to go against Wales.”
Wales opt for mix of form and experience
Wales Women head coach Ioan Cunningham has opted for a mixture of form and experience in his side, giving a starting spot to Meg Webb for the first time in over two years.
Webb’s last start came in the 2020 Six Nations against France and she missed the last tournament due to glandular fever.
Georgia Evans also earns a spot, making her first start since breaking her arm in February and will partner Natalia John in the second-row, while centre Hannah Jones captains the side.
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Cunningham admitted selection decisions have been difficult but is confident he has picked a winning side that will build on their Six Nations campaign.
Wales claimed a narrow 24-19 victory against Scotland in the Six Nations and Cunningham knows Sunday could bring another tight encounter.
Cunningham said: “There have been a lot of selection headaches, not only to get the squad down to 32, but to also name that first 15 and matchday 23.
“Having said that, we are super excited about what lies ahead and we can’t wait to get going.
“It was a tough decision to finalise the side.
“There were a lot of discussions on top of watching them in detail whilst training and how they went against Canada and England.
“But one thing we are clear on, is that it’s about the matchday 23 and not just the 15 who start on Sunday.
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“It’s about how we can impact the game in different ways.
“We feel the starting 15 we have gone with, plus the replacements we have named are more than capable of getting the result that we need.
“Scotland are a very decent side and it will be a different game now. You can look back at that game in the Six Nations but both sides have changed since that game. It is who adapts and reacts best on the day and who reacts to the occasion.
“We hope to hit the ground running and try to capitalise on the chances we make. It’s about taking every chance that comes our way. There are no second chances in what is effectively knockout rugby.”
Named Squads:
Scotland: 15 Chloe Rollie, 14 Rhona Lloyd,13 Hannah Smith, 12 Lisa Thomson, 11 Megan Gaffney, 10 Helen Nelson, 9 Caity Mattinson, 1 Molly Wright, 2 Lana Skeldon, 3 Christine Belisle 4 Emma Wassell, 5 Sarah Bonar, 6 Rachel Malcolm (c), 7 Louise McMillan, 8 Jade Konkel
Replacements:16 Jodie Rettie,17 Leah Bartlett,18 Elliann Clarke,19 Lyndsay O’Donnell, 20 Eilidh Sinclair, 21 Mairi McDonald, 22 Meryl Smith, 23 Shona Campbell
Wales: 15 Kayleigh Powell,14 Jasmine Joyce, 13 Megan Webb,12 Hannah Jones (c), 11 Lisa Neumann, 10 Elinor Snowsill, 9 Ffion Lewis, 1 Cara Hope, 2 Carys Phillips, 3 Donna Rose, 4 Natalia John, 5 Georgia Evans, 6 Alisha Butchers, 7 Alex Callender, 8 Sioned Harries
Replacements: 16 Kelsey Jones, 17 Caryl Thomas, 18 Cerys Hale, 19 Siwan Lillicrap, 20 Bethan Lewis, 21 Keira Bevan, 22 Robyn Wilkins, 23 Lowri Norkett