Scotland’s Women’s U20 Head Coach, Claire Cruikshank, has unveiled the 30-player squad that will represent Scotland in the inaugural Six Nations Women’s Summer Series. The squad, comprised of 17 forwards and 13 backs, is poised to compete in Parma, Italy, commencing with their first match against the hosts on July 4.
A significant portion of the chosen players were part of either Edinburgh Rugby or Glasgow Warriors in the 2023/24 Celtic Challenge, with 23 players also receiving support from Scottish Rugby’s three Regional Training Centres.
Two former Scotland Women U18 and Scotland Futures players, Poppy Fletcher and Hannah Walker, have been appointed as the tour co-captains, with a matchday captain to be selected from the starting XV for each game.
Additionally, Nicole Flynn, Natasha Logan, Merryn Gunderson, and Leia Brebner-Holden, who recently participated in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations with Scotland Women, have also secured their spots in the squad. The inclusion of Logan and Brebner-Holden, alongside Rhea Clarke, Ellie Williamson, and Nicole Marlow, brings the total number of U23 players to five, in accordance with eligibility rules.
Following her debut in the recent U18 Six Nations Festival, Talei Tawake will make the leap to the U20 squad.
Coach Cruikshank conveyed her enthusiasm for the forthcoming competition, remarking: “The chosen squad is an exciting blend of talent. This competition presents an excellent opportunity to test ourselves against international opposition at this stage of players’ development in the new Summer Series, which is a truly thrilling prospect.”
The Scotland U20 team recently concluded a training camp in Wales as part of their preparations for the series. According to Cruikshank, the experience of training and playing in Wales has been pivotal in their build-up to the upcoming matches in Italy.
Fans will have the opportunity to witness the Scotland Women’s U20 fixtures against Italy, France, and Ireland via the official Scottish Rugby website and the Six Nations Rugby YouTube channels.
The full squad is as follows:
[Full list of forwards and backs]
The schedule for Scotland’s matches is as follows:
Italy vs Scotland | July 4, 8pm (BST)
Scotland vs France | July 9, 5.30pm (BST)
Ireland vs Scotland | July 14, 9am (BST)
The Scotland U20 Women’s Rugby Squad is gearing up for a series of exciting and challenging matches, and fans will undoubtedly eagerly anticipate cheering them on as they face off against some of the top international teams.