'So much talent': Scotland Women name squad for World Cup and set out ambition

The most experienced member of the squad, the 81-cap hooker was stretchered off in a warm-up clash with Ireland on Saturday, making her a doubt for the tournament.

But she appears to have avoided serious injury and will therefore take her place in the squad, with Scotland set to face Wales, Canada and Fiji in a tricky pool.

There is no such luck for promising young back Lucia Scott, who has been ruled out of the tournament with a broken hand suffered in the same game.

Elsewhere in the squad, sisters Elliann and Rhea Clarke are set to become the first set of Scottish sisters to play at a Women’s Rugby World Cup after they both made the cut.

While scrum-half Rhea has just one cap to her name, prop Elliann has been a more regular fixture in the team in recent seasons, racking up 22 appearances.

Uncapped player and captain

Hannah Walker is the only uncapped player in the squad, captained as ever by Rachel Malcolm, while there is a welcome return for Emma Wassell, who is now back fit after having a benign tumour in her chest removed last September.

Emma Orr, who is one of 21 players back in the squad after playing in the last World Cup, was just 19 when she played in New Zealand three years ago.

And the centre was thrilled to welcome Wassell back into the squad after she missed both WXV and the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

The centre said: “Wass is so inspiring to me, she’s been through an absolute rollercoaster this last little while and she’s so inspiring.

“She’s also the most lovely character, she lights up the room when she walks into it so to have her back on the pitch but also off the pitch, she’s such a joy and brings smiles to everyone’s faces.

“She’s huge for our performances on the pitch but also our culture and good vibes off the pitch. It’s so good to have her back. I’m so happy for her.”

Scotland’s schedule

Scotland will head to Salford for their World Cup opener against Wales off the back of a pair of warm-up defeats, losing to Italy and then Ireland over the last fortnight.

With so much riding on that opening game – which happened to be the first game for the two sides at the last World Cup – Scotland will need to hit the ground running.

And while there have been plenty of positives from the preparation matches, Orr admits that the team needs to show that they convert their unquestioned potential into results on the pitch.

She said: “We are definitely positive, there are so many girls that were at that last World Cup and this squad has been together for quite a long time. We've played together for a while now.

“We’ve been on the wrong end of results but also been on the right end of them more recently. We really want to get out there and show what we can do. There is so much talent in the squad but we need to go out and show the potential we have.

“I think in both (warm-up) games, we narrowly lost and certainly there were time stamps within the game where we were flying and time stamps where we dropped off or didn’t start as well.

Scotland ‘have loads of potential’

“The main takeaway from that is I keep saying we’ve got loads of potential, we’ve proved that, but it’s whether we can do that in big moments like at this World Cup when it counts.

“We need to be able to do it for the 80 minutes, we can’t do it for a half and hope that is enough, we need to be better than that. It’s definitely been frustrating with loads of positives. We’ve got three big pool games coming up so that is when it really counts.”

The tournament will mark the end of Easson’s time at the helm of the team, having taken over the job back in 2020.

The decision was announced last month and will bring to a close a period of growth for the side, including qualification for the last World Cup and victory in the inaugural edition of WXV 2.

For Orr, it will mean the departure of the coach who gave her a first cap as a teenager and she admits she owes a lot to Easson, explaining that the team are desperate to send him off on a high.

She said: “We’ve all got a great relationship with him and it will be really sad to see him go. But I know we are going to make this experience the best we can for him and the squad. I’m so grateful for everything he has taught me as a person, I feel like I have learned a lot.

“I’ve grown up a little in the squad under his leadership. It’s going to be really sad but we’re really excited to spend this next wee while together in the squad and see how much we can do.

"We want to go out and make our coaches proud and our families and Scotland proud. We’re looking forward to finishing the year on a high hopefully.”

Scotland squad

Forwards: Leah Bartlett (Sale Sharks), Becky Boyd (Loughborough Lightning), Sarah Bonar (Harlequins), Elliann Clarke (Bristol Bears), Lisa Cockburn (Gloucester Hartpury), Eva Donaldson (Sale Sharks), Evie Gallagher (Bristol Bears), Adelle Ferrie (Edinburgh Rugby/Corstorphine Cougars), Jade Konkel (Harlequins), Rachel Malcolm, captain (Trailfinders Women), Elis Martin (Loughborough Lightning), Rachel McLachlan (Montpellier), Molly Poolman (Edinburgh/Watsonian), Lana Skeldon (Bristol Bears), Alex Stewart (Edinburgh/Corstorphine Cougars), Emma Wassell (Trailfinders Women), Molly Wright (Sale Sharks), Anne Young (Loughborough Lightning).

Backs: Leia Brebner-Holden (Loughborough Lightning), Beth Blacklock (Saracens), Rhea Clarke (Bristol Bears), Coreen Grant (Harlequins), Rhona Lloyd (Sale Sharks), Caity Mattinson (Trailfinders Women), Francesca McGhie (Trailfinders Women), Helen Nelson (Loughborough Lightning), Hannah Ramsay (Edinburgh/University of Edinburgh), Chloe Rollie (Toulon Provence Mediterranee), Emma Orr (Bristol Bears), Lisa Thomson (Trailfinders Women), Hannah Walker (Edinburgh/University of Edinburgh), Evie Wills (Sale Sharks).