After a spell out dealing with concussion issues, Poppy Fletcher managed to get back into action towards the end of the Celtic Challenge and is now raring to go ahead of the Six Nations Women’s Summer Series with the Scotland under-20s.
Fletcher, the 21-year-old loosehead prop who came through the ranks with Dunbar and East Lothian girls in East Lothian, is one of nine players named in the 30-strong squad on Tuesday that are heading to Wales that played in last year’s tournament.
The others are Ceitidh Ainsworth, Lucy MacRae, Megan Hyland, Eilidh Fleming, Karis Craig, Merryn Gunderson, Nicole Flynn and Rebekah Douglas.
With Fletcher and Gunderson being two of the five overage (U23) players making the trip and part of the four-strong leadership group with Flynn and Emily Norval they will be expected to lead from the front.
Former Scotland under-18 and Futures cap Fletcher is used to doing just that and 12 months ago in Italy shared the co-captaincy with current Scotland wider squad member Hannah Walker.
And in Wales – where the Scots take on England on July 5 (6pm), the hosts on July 11 (6pm) and Ireland on July 17 (1pm) at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach – we can expect to see Fletcher the player making her mark as well as Fletcher the leader after a ‘stop start’ 2024/25 for her.
The former Heriot’s player who now plays for Edinburgh University said: “I had quite an issue with concussions, so had to step back from rugby for a little bit in the first part of the season.
“Concussion and head injuries are things that cannot and should not be rushed so you’ve just got to sort of tough it out and wait. I had loads of support from everyone around me and that really helped while I continued my second year of applied sports science studies to keep me busy.
“When it was safe to come back to rugby, I was with Glasgow Warriors – a new environment having played for Edinburgh before – and it was really exciting.
“I really enjoyed the environment at the club and meeting new team mates and I think I managed to play three games in the Celtic Challenge and I felt in a good place at the end of that competition to kick on.
“Now I’m really excited to see how the Summer Series goes because I feel like still just getting back into things and regular rugby and I am raring to go.”
Scotland lost to Italy, France and Ireland in the inaugural Summer Series event last in the heat of Parma, but they showed at times what they were all about and battled through having suffered various injuries along the way.
The fact that Leia Brebner-Holden, Lucia Scott, Leia Brebner-Holden, Molly Poolman, Rhea Clarke and Gemma Bell from that squad have since made full Scotland debuts with Hannah Ramsay, the aforementioned Walker and Aila Ronald all currently in the wider training squad, shows that the tournament was a good learning curve for youngsters.
As a front-rower, it certainly helped Fletcher become more battle hardened and she is pleased with the balance in this year’s squad.
Those of us who were in Italy last year that are still here took a lot of learnings which we can bring into this year,” she stated.
“It was tough at times, the heat was insane and we lost a number of players to injury, but no one took a backwards step and no one will be this time around either.
“The way the squad has come together under the new coaching team [Louise Dalgliesh, Matty Douglas and Tamara Taylor] has been really positive and having a number of players who have played Celtic Challenge here mixed in with others stepping up from the under-18s is a really good blend.
“We had a helpful hit out versus Wales recently and a training session with the full Scotland squad and now we are buzzing to get into competitive games and represent our country.”
Scotland supporters will be able to follow every moment of the action from the Summer Series as all matches will be streamed live on the Six Nations under-20 YouTube channel and the Scottish Rugby website.
Scotland’s under-20 squad for the Six Nations Women’s Summer Series
Forwards: Emily Coubrough, Karis Craig, Lily Crisp, Eilidh Fleming, Poppy Fletcher, Merryn Gunderson, Megan Hyland, Kaylee McHugh, Sophie Price, Megan Riach, Charlotte Russell, Aicha Sutcliffe, Faye Sutherland, Louise Taperell, Gemma Thomson, Isobel Twigger, Holly Wilson, Aisha Zameer.
Backs: Ceitidh Ainsworth, Lisa Brown, Rianna Darroch, Rebekah Douglas, Nicole Flynn, Scarlett Haddow, Emily Love, Freya MacColl, Lucy MacRae, Holly McIntyre, Poppy Mellanby, Emily Norval.
Tickets for Scotland-England at Murrayfield in April 2026 can be purchased here.
Poppy Fletcher is pictured in Glasgow Warriors colours
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