Tighthead prop Imogen Spence is “mature beyond her years” and the Scotland camp are “excited to see her go” should the “student of the game” get the chance to earn her first full cap off the bench this week.
With Molly Poolman out with a shoulder injury, Spence will be wearing the number 18 jersey at the GIO Stadium in the Australian capital Canberra (Friday, 9.30am UK time, live on RugbyPass TV) when the Scots take on hosts Australia in WXV Global Series action.
The former Lockerbie Academy pupil, who has come through the ranks at Moffat, Biggar and Edinburgh University and is now aligned to Glasgow Warriors, has previously played age-grade rugby for her country and has bided her time in the full squad over the last couple of months.
Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm said: “For someone who’s 19 and playing in the front-row, she’s mature beyond her years. She’s a really nice person to be around and a nice person to have in camp.
“She’s got quite an unassuming attitude, but when she goes onto the pitch, she just goes about her business and she’s exactly what we want from a front-rower. She carries hard, she tackles hard and she’s a real student of the game in terms of the set piece and she’s doing everything she can to take strides in that area. I’m excited to see her go.
“She had an opportunity to run in the starting team last week in training and we saw just then how ready she really is and how much she’s taken things on board in the background without ever making a song and dance about it.
“If she gets on this Friday, it’s probably on us as senior players to guide her through the game a little bit and just let her focus on her performance.
“I’m really excited that she’s got an opportunity.”
Interim head coach Dave Butcher added: “As tighthead age goes, Imogen is a baby as a tighthead and we all know that it’s a late maturation position.
“But everything we’ve asked of her she’s done immediately and she’s one of those players that you give a little bit of knowledge to and it’s almost instantaneous that she goes away and uses it.
“She understands where she is in her journey as well, she’s very, very realistic and knows that she’s a 19-year-old tight head prop with two very good tight head props in front of her.
And she’s just here to learn and gain knowledge off the coaches and the senior players that we’ve got. She hangs on their words, she’s just soaking it all in.
“Is it a bit sooner than we thought she’d be in a matchday squad? Yeah, but for me it was always when would she play for Scotland, not if she played for Scotland.
“I’m really happy for her and I know she’ll really take advantage of this opportunity.”
Imogen Spence is pictured – thanks to Scottish Rugby
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