On Saturday afternoon Scotland’s Men will take to the field at BT Murrayfield with two playmakers at 10 and 12 – and they will not be the only national team to do so in the next few days.
This coming Tuesday evening Scotland Women host Canada in a Test match at Glasgow Warriors’ Scotstoun ground with stand-off Lisa Martin and inside centre Helen Nelson looking to give their side the same ‘go forward’ as Adam Hastings and Finn Russell.
Nelson, the 24-year-old who began her rugby journey with Lochaber and now plays full-time for Montpellier in France, is excited to watch Hastings and Russell for some inspiration.
“I am really excited to see Adam and Finn play at 10 and 12 against Argentina, it will be interesting,” Nelson said this week.
“I think myself and Shorty [Martin] both play the positions differently and we bring different attributes so it is good to have us both bringing those different things to the table.
“I play a bit of 12 at Montpellier too and I see the 10 and 12 as being quite interchangeable on the pitch.
“It is good having two playmakers because if you are stuck in a ruck the other can take over.
“Every Test you get a bit more experience and a bit more confidence and I try and bring that because we are still a young squad so it is trying to rub off on the others, get them to play our game, not be nervous and have fun.”
The Scots go into their only home November match off the back of a disappointing 38-0 loss in Italy a few weeks ago.
“We know that we did not perform well enough on the day, but it is not back to the drawing board type stuff it is just little things that did not click,” Nelson said about the Calvisano reverse.
“There were individual errors which we know in Test match rugby just are not good enough so we have been talking a lot, we have learnt from it and we are looking to move forward and putting those wrongs right.
“In terms of Canada, I watched them play England last weekend and they were very good up front and their backs are solid with good skills because they have played a lot of sevens in the past so they are a good all round team.
“It will be a good challenge for us.”
The Scotland starting XV will be named on Monday with an extended squad of 25 having been named for the match.
That group consists of the 23 who were involved against Italy plus No.8 Jade Konkel and the uncapped Watsonians’ winger Charlotte Runcie.
The match will be live on BBC ALBA.
Scotland v Canada kicks off at 7pm on Tuesday at Scotstoun, and is preceded by the Girls’ Schools Cup under-15s final (2pm) and under-18s final (3.45pm).
Tickets provide entry to all three games and cost £10 for adults or £5 for students and under-18s.
Thanks to Scottish Rugby/SNS for the photos
If you are a professional or amateur athlete, Virtuo Wealth Management can provide you with leading injury insurance policies across a range of different sports. We help you from start to finish with the entire process, from setting up your policy, to helping with any claims, so all you need to do is focus on your sport.
We can offer you personal advice on what policy is best for you, depending on how much cover you need and what is most affordable. With cover starting at just £6 a month, you can get covered quickly and easily to protect you when you play.
For any enquiries about what we can offer in order to support you please visit our website on www.virtuowealth.com or contact Jamie Sole at jamie@virtuowealth.com