Gary Heatly in Manchester
Second-row Adelle Ferrie is “one of the most coachable players around” and is a “really physical specimen” who deserves her chance in the Scotland matchday 23 to take on Fiji at the Women’s Rugby World Cup on Saturday (2.45pm, live on BBC Two).
The 27-year-old second-row had only ever played club and Celtic Challenge rugby until earlier this year when she received a shock Six Nations call up.
She now has six caps under her belt and the seventh one for the Corstorphine Cougars player could be a very special one after she was added to the replacements list for the Pool B clash at Salford Community Stadium in Manchester.
Ferrie grew up on her family’s farm near Whithorn in Dumfries and Galloway and first played rugby at university for Morgan who were affiliated with Abertay University at the time. Spells then came at Howe of Fife and Carlisle Cougars before settling with Corstorphine in the capital.
Scotland will be looking to build on the excellent 38-8 bonus point win against Wales against the underdogs Fiji and, on Ferrie, the head coach Bryan Easson said: “To come in as quite new with us just a few months ago and then to get involved in the World Cup and now to have an opportunity this weekend to get off the bench and get her first World Cup cap, it’s an excellent story.
“Adelle’s very mature around this group. She is one who is very, very coachable, she is one of the most coachable players around.
“She wants to get better, she understands what she needs to do to get better and what she needs to do to hopefully get start in positions and stuff. She deserves this chance.”
Captain Rachel Malcolm added: “I think she’s probably fed up of my voice to be honest because I’ve been in her ear for the last however many months about this and that, but I just want her to get better and show what she is all about and she is doing that now.
“She’s obviously slightly older than some of our first caps have been in recent years and I think that maturity really shines through.
“She’s put the work in, she absolutely deserves it and for me she’s probably one of the best physical specimens – a really physical specimen – that we’ve produced in a long time.
“Her strength, her power, her speed, her ability to jump and lift in the lineout has all given us another dimension and I think as she continues to learn the game she’s going to grow into a real key performer for us.”
Elis Martin coming in at hooker for the injured Lana Skeldon is the only change to the starting XV for the Fiji game with loosehead prop Anne Young and Ferrie coming onto the bench as Molly Wright shifts to the 16 shirt to cover hooker and Jade Konkel is injured.
The win over the Welsh now makes Scotland favourites to progress to the quarter-finals from Pool B behind likely group winners Canada. That would mean a probable knock-out tie with world number one side England on September 14.
However, there is a lot of rugby to be played before then and, after Fiji, there is a meeting with world number two Canada in Exeter on September 6.
Scotland squad to play Fiji: Chloe Rollie; Rhona Lloyd, Emma Orr, Lisa Thomson, Francesca McGhie; Helen Nelson, Leia Brebner-Holden; Leah Bartlett, Elis Martin, Elliann Clarke, Emma Wassell, Sarah Bonar, Rachel Malcolm (C), Rachel McLachlan, Evie Gallagher. Subs: Molly Wright, Anne Young, Lisa Cockburn, Adelle Ferrie, Eva Donaldson, Alex Stewart, Caity Mattinson, Beth Blacklock.
The Fiji matchday 23 is here.
Adelle Ferrie is pictured – thanks to World Rugby
From August 7 until September 30, GH Media will be following the Scotland World Cup journey all of the way. We will be at all of the Scotland matches down south and will be bringing you all of the interviews and news from camp as well as taking a wider look at the tournament as a whole and its impact on the women’s game. Thanks to Quirky Chocolate and other supporters for allowing this content to happen and to readers for engaging with it.