The Scotland squad met up today (February 24) for the first pre-Guinness Women’s Six Nations and for a batch of the 34-strong group there will have been just a bit more excitement than the others.
Hollie Cunningham and Meg Varley have not joined up with the group as yet because they are still with club side Bristol Bears preparing for this coming weekend’s PWR semi-final play-offs, but Aila Ronald, Molly Poolman, Adelle Ferrie, Becky Boyd, Rhea Clarke, Rachel Philipps and Hannah Walker should all be with the national team now.
With the showpiece Six Nations tournament now less than a month away the nine players mentioned are all uncapped.
Ronald and Philipps have the most experience with the squad having been with them in South Africa at WXV 2 late last year while Varley, Poolman, Clarke and Walker have all been around the group in some capacity before and Cunningham, Ferrie and Boyd are completely new to things.
Here’s a look at the new faces…
Forwards
Hooker Ronald, who came through Deeside and Garioch and now plays for Edinburgh University as is currently a vice-captain of Edinburgh Rugby in the Celtic Challenge.
After her first senior tour with Scotland to Cape Town a few months ago, forwards coach Fraser Brown said: “Aila has been really good, I have been really impressed by since she first came into the group.
“She’d be the first to say that when she first came in she would not have expected to have been out in South Africa, but she earned her tour spot. She has been really impressive and her progression has been excellent.”
Molly Poolman, like Ronald, is an under-20 cap and is a tighthead prop for Watsonians who started out at Howe of Fife.
“She really impressed us,” Scotland head coach Bryan Easson said.
She plays well and was a day trainer last year when she really impressed us with just how she was as a person, she very much ‘got’ the environment.
“With a young tighthead it’s important we keep looking at long-term development and she’s a hard worker.”
In terms of the three new second-rows, Boyd of Loughborough Lightning qualifies for Scotland via her Glasgow-born grandfather and was involved with England under-20s last year, while Cunningham, a former England under-18 and under-20 cap who trained with the Red Roses in 2024, qualifies through her Aberdeen-born grandmother.
“Becky Boyd is a youngster who’s played at Loughborough Lightning but played at Loughborough University as well and we have been impressed by her,” Easson explained.
“And Hollie Cunningham is a player that we’ve had our eye on for just over a year around her availability and she’s playing regularly for Bristol.
“She’s a really good ball carrier and really abrasive. She’s tall and she’s also really good lineout wise.
“Adelle Ferrie has been playing Celtic Challenge lately for Edinburgh Rugby and she played well for Corstorphine Cougars league-wise before Christmas as they won the Premiership.”
Ferrie grew up on her family’s farm near Whithorn in Dumfries and Galloway and first played rugby at university for Morgan Rugby Club who were affiliated with Abertay University at the time. Spells then came at Howe of Fife and Carlisle Cougars before settling with Corstorphine.
Backs
Scrum-half Clarke joins older sister Elliann, a tighthead prop, in the squad and has come through at Dunfermline, Stirling County and is now with Edinburgh University/Edinburgh.
“Rhea is one who’s been in here as a day trainer with us before,” Easson said.
“I think she’s maturing in the way she’s playing. I think she’s physical in terms of a nine. She’s actually quite abrasive as a nine and she’s got a good service. The way we want to try and play, we need that width.”
Centre/winger Varley was called up to the Six Nations squad last year before a couple of serious injuries stopped her in her tracks.
She qualifies for Scotland through her paternal grandmother who was born and bred in Edinburgh and Easson said: “I think I’ve introduced Meg three times to the group and she’s never come in fully as yet because of injuries.
“But Meg really excites me as a player because she’s physical and she’s also quick. She speaks a lot. She’s got really good communication skills.
“She is a wing who also plays at 13, Emma Orr is a standout at 13, but you have somebody really pushing her.”
Centre Philipps came through at Biggar, Edinburgh University and Watsonians and is coming off the back of a good debut PWR campaign with Sale Sharks.
“South Africa was amazing and I learnt so much on that trip which I have now been able to bring back to Sale and in the last couple of months I have really enjoyed getting some game time with my new club and, with 2025 a busy one, I am feeling in a good place,” she said in a recent interview.
Winger Walker, who played under-20s with Ronald, Poolman and Clarke last summer in Italy when she was co-captain, came through the ranks at the Community School of Auchterarder and is now with Edinburgh University and Edinburgh where she has leadership roles.
“Hannah Walker, I’ve been really impressed with her. She’s looking physical, she’s scored a few tries for Edinburgh lately and she is a real finisher.
“I think there’s real good competition for back three spots and Hannah certainly deserves the call up.”
Overview
Scotland will have three-day camps this week, WC March 3 and WC March 10 and then from WC March 17 it’ll be all eyes on – and full steam ahead – for the Six Nations 2025.
They open their campaign hosting Wales on Saturday March 22 and everything this year is building up to the Rugby World Cup in England in August and September. The Six Nations runs until April 26.
Alongside the selected 34 players, Scotland under-20 and Celtic Challenge talents Holland Bogan, Emily Coubrough, Poppy Mellanby (all Glasgow Warriors) and Talei Tawake, Natasha Logan and Hannah Ramsay (all Edinburgh Rugby) will be invited into camp as day trainers to support their development.
Scotland women’s training squad (number of caps in brackets, uncapped players in bold)
Forwards
Leah Bartlett – Leicester Tigers (38)
Christine Belisle – Loughborough Lightning (40)
Becky Boyd – Loughborough Lightning (uncapped)
Sarah Bonar – Harlequins (42)
Elliann Clarke – Bristol Bears (15)
Hollie Cunningham – Bristol Bears (uncapped)
Evie Gallagher – Bristol Bears (31)
Adelle Ferrie – Edinburgh Rugby/Corstorphine Cougars (uncapped)
Jade Konkel – Harlequins (66)
Rachel Malcolm – Loughborough Lightning (52, C)
Elis Martin – Loughborough Lightning (15)
Rachel McLachlan – Montpellier (46)
Aila Ronald – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh (uncapped)
Molly Poolman – Edinburgh Rugby/Watsonians (uncapped)
Lana Skeldon – Bristol Bears (74)
Alex Stewart – Edinburgh Rugby/Corstorphine Cougars (8)
Anne Young – Loughborough Lightning (15)
Molly Wright – Sale Sharks (23)
Backs
Leia Brebner-Holden – Loughborough Lightning (5)
Beth Blacklock – Saracens (3)
Rhea Clarke – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh (uncapped)
Rhona Lloyd – Les Lionnes du Stade Bordelais (52)
Caity Mattinson – Trailfinders Women (27)
Francesca McGhie – Leicester Tigers (17)
Liz Musgrove – Trailfinders Women (18)
Helen Nelson – Loughborough Lightning (65, V-C)
Rachel Philipps – Sale Sharks – (uncapped)
Chloe Rollie – Trailfinders Women (70)
Lucia Scott – Edinburgh Rugby/Gloucester-Hartpury (3)
Emma Orr – Bristol Bears (24)
Lisa Thomson – Trailfinders Women (64)
Hannah Walker – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh (uncapped)
Evie Wills – Leicester Tigers (3)
Meg Varley – Bristol Bears (uncapped)
Day trainers invited into camp to support their development (all uncapped)
Forwards
Talei Tawake – Edinburgh Rugby/Watsonians
Holland Bogan – Glasgow Warriors/Stirling County
Natasha Logan – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh
Emily Coubrough – Glasgow Warriors/University of Edinburgh
Backs
Hannah Ramsay – Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh
Poppy Mellanby – Glasgow Warriors/Biggar
Rachel Philipps is in the main picture and all eight other uncapped players are pictured too
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