Edinburgh University foursome Shona Campbell, Holly McIntyre, Meryl Smith and Anne Young are among the 26 players in Bryan Easson's squad; Worcester Warriors' Lyndsay O'Donnell is in line to pull on a Scotland shirt for the first time since 2017
Monday 1 November 2021 12:17, UK
Four players could potentially make their Scotland debuts against Japan later this month after being called into the squad for their upcoming women's international.
Backs Shona Campbell, Holly McIntyre and Meryl Smith, plus forward Anne Young - all of whom play their club rugby for Edinburgh University - have been named in Bryan Easson's squad.
The Scots go into the match against Japan on the back of wins over Spain and Ireland during the recent European qualifiers for next year's Rugby World Cup, and head coach Easson is eager to see how they stack up against a team who have already booked their place in the tournament.
"The upcoming Autumn Test against Japan is a great opportunity for us to learn from our experience in the Rugby World Cup 2021 Europe Qualifiers," Easson said.
"Japan have recently qualified for the Rugby World Cup as the highest ranked team in the Asia qualification process, so this will be an ideal test for us as it exposes us to a different opponent and playing style ahead of our final qualification tournament next year."
In total, Easson has named a 26-player squad for the match at the DAM Health Stadium in Edinburgh on Sunday, November 14, including handing second row Lyndsay O'Donnell a recall with her last appearance for Scotland coming in the 2017 Six Nations.
The match will be the first Scotland have played in front of a home crowd since the 24-20 loss to Japan two years ago.
"The players are also excited to run out in front of a home crowd for the first time since 2019, especially as they've played mostly behind closed doors for the past 18 months," Easson said.
"We've all hugely missed having crowds, so it'll be fantastic to have supporters along at the DAM Health Stadium to cheer the players on."
Forwards: Leah Bartlett (Loughborough Lightning), Christine Belisle (Loughborough Lightning), Sarah Bonar (Harlequins), Lisa Cockburn (Darlington Mowden Park), Evie Gallagher (Stirling County), Jade Konkel (Harlequins), Rachel Malcolm (Loughborough Lightning, captain), Rachel McLachlan (Sale Sharks), Louise McMillan (Hillhead Jordanhill), Lyndsay O'Donnell (Worcester Warriors), Lana Skeldon (Worcester Warriors), Emma Wassell (Loughborough Lightning), Molly Wright (Watsonians), Anne Young (Edinburgh University).
Backs: Shona Campbell (Edinburgh University), Megan Gaffney (Loughborough Lightning), Sarah Law (Sale Sharks), Rhona Lloyd (Les Lionnes du Stade Bordelais), Jenny Maxwell (Loughborough Lightning), Holly McIntyre (Edinburgh University), Helen Nelson (Loughborough Lightning), Chloe Rollie (Exeter Chiefs), Hannah Smith (Watsonians), Meryl Smith (Edinburgh University), Lisa Thomson (Sale Sharks), Evie Wills (Hillhead Jordanhill).
