Gary Heatly in Manchester
Scotland assistant coach Tyrone Holmes says that Scotland have a “clean bill of health” ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup clash with Wales on Saturday.
Heading into the tournament there were doubts over the fitness of hooker Lana Skeldon, fellow hooker Elis Martin, second-row Sarah Bonar, back-row Jade Konkel and winger Francesca McGhie.
When asked on Tuesday afternoon at Scotland’s team base on the outskirts of Manchester if everyone was fit in the 32-strong squad ahead of the crucial Pool B meeting at the Salford Community Stadium at the weekend, Holmes said: “They are.
“We’ve got a clean bill of health and that’s a huge boost for us. You don’t want to pick up injuries at all, but injuries in a specialist position – and maybe two of them [at hooker] – is not ideal.
“Luckily, Lana and Elis been training and both are fit for the weekend.
“When it happened [Skeldon’s injury against Ireland], obviously there was a worry as a coach, but I think our medical staff have been unreal.
“The doc and medics were right on to it. Lana was scanned early doors and the recovery has been phenomenal. We’re very lucky to have both her and Elis fit for the game.”
On Bonar, Konkel and McGhie he added: “At the moment there is a clean bill of health across the squad. So good news, for sure.
“Like I said, across the board now we have full options to choose from, which is excellent going into our first game at the World Cup.”
There have been a lot of distractions around the build up to the World Cup for Scotland with a lot of it centred on head coach Bryan Easson announcing he will be leaving his post after the tournament and also around uncertainty around player contracts.
And now Holmes, the 39-year-old defence guru who previously earned one Scotland men’s cap and has been part of this set up since 2020, has revealed that his own contract currently only runs until the end of the World Cup.
“At the moment I’m only under contract until the end of the World Cup, so I’m currently exploring all options,” he said.
“At the moment, I am just exploring options both internally [with Scottish Rugby] and externally.”
Asked whether – with Easson finishing up soon, his contract nearing an end and Fraser Brown and Matt Banahan having left posts since the Guinness Women’s Six Nations – Scottish Rugby want to bring in entirely new coaching team post-World Cup, he replied: “At the moment, after one or two conversations with Dave [Nucifora, the governing body’s performance director], the only thing I’m clear on is that I’ll be exploring both internally and externally to see if there are any new challenges out there.
“In terms of the players, I think I need to commend them for how they have trained and performed with a lot of the contract issues in the background.
“They’ve done a great job to park that now. The contract discussions are over and they have full focus now on the World Cup which I think has definitely freed up a bit of mental space for them.”
The tournament in England runs from August 22 to September 27 and the Scotland group stage matches are against Wales on Saturday, Fiji in Manchester on August 30 and Canada in Exeter on September 6.
The top two from each pool will make it through to the last eight in the 16-team event with a quarter-final spot definitely achievable for the Scots.
The Scotland matchday 23 to play Wales will be announced on Thursday.
Scotland Women’s Rugby World Cup squad
Forwards: Leah Bartlett, Becky Boyd, Sarah Bonar, Elliann Clarke, Lisa Cockburn, Eva Donaldson, Evie Gallagher, Adelle Ferrie, Jade Konkel, Rachel Malcolm (C), Elis Martin, Rachel McLachlan, Molly Poolman, Lana Skeldon, Alex Stewart, Emma Wassell, Molly Wright, Anne Young.
Backs: Leia Brebner-Holden, Beth Blacklock, Rhea Clarke, Coreen Grant, Rhona Lloyd, Caity Mattinson, Francesca McGhie, Helen Nelson, Emma Orr, Hannah Ramsay, Chloe Rollie, Lisa Thomson, Hannah Walker, Evie Wills.
The five players who have been recent injury doubts are pictured
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.