Easson primed for England as Scots look to gauge growth
THE excitement is building, but Bryan Easson was maintaining a pragmatic approach ahead of his first official match in charge of the Scotland women’s team.
Perhaps that is no surprise given his side will kick off their Six Nations campaign tomorrow by taking on an England side which ran out 53-0 winners the last time they met.
Yet, despite being massive underdogs at Castle Park in Doncaster, Easson insists the clash is a ‘fair fight’.
‘As a group, we feel we are in a place where we can put in performances now,’ said the man who used to coach the Scotland Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20 men’s age grade teams and played professionally for Caledonia Reds and Exeter Chiefs.
‘I am not going to say we are going to win Six Nations and World Cups, but this is a team that is progressing and I see us getting better every session.
‘The challenge that I give them is “be better after every session” and you will see a better group of people and a better group of players who will be more structured and put whoever we are playing under pressure.’
Scotland go into the game with eight full-time or semi-pro players, with the rest amateurs, compared to England, who have a full-time professional set-up.
One of Scotland’s star players, No8 Jade Kronkel, is unavailable for the Six Nations as she is taking a break from the game to train as a firefighter in London.
‘It is still a fair fight, but you have got to challenge yourselves,’ added Easson. ‘We have trained more than we probably ever have because of the situation we have been put in due to the pandemic, so for me it is 15 v 15 on Saturday.
‘Some of the English girls have been playing week in and week out in the Premiership, but we have been having hit-outs every Saturday, too.
‘It has been about how we have trained and how we have worked the units together over the last few months. It is about taking the field now against England and we believe this is the team that can show everybody how we have worked in recent months.
‘Overall, this weekend is a different ask for all teams in the Six Nations as nobody has played international rugby for a long time, so for me it is about preparation, it is not about professionalism, it is about how we prepare for the weekend.’
The Scotland head coach points to a 13-13 draw against France back in October when he was in interim charge after Irishman Philip Doyle’s departure as a step in the right direction for his team.
Easson, who officially took over in January, is under no illusions about the size of the task his team face, but has faith in the side that did so well against the French to the extent he has picked the same back division.
‘The half-back pairing is fairly new, but when you look at Lisa Thomson and Hannah Smith in the midfield, they’ve played a lot of caps together and know each other very well,’ he said.
‘We’ve got a relatively new back three, with Rachel Shankland winning her first cap against France, but they’ve all trained together over the last few months. There has been consistency and, injurywise, we’ve been lucky. They are all getting to know each other better and having those blends really helps us as an attacking threat.’
The only three alterations from Scotland’s last outing against France are in the pack. Christine
Belisle comes in at prop to join Leah Bartlett and Lana Skeldon in the front row, while Louise McMillan starts in the second row, where she will partner Emma Wassell. Siobhan Cattigan of Stirling County lines up at No8 in place of Kronkel, with skipper Rachel Malcolm and Rachel McLachlan on the flanks. Although Easson (left) accepts that 27-year-old Kronkel will be a big miss, he doesn’t think Cattigan should feel under pressure taking over from such an influential figure. He said: ‘Jade is renowned as a world-class player, and is well known down south from her performances with Harlequins, but every time Siobhan has played for us she has played very well. ‘She played at No8 against Spain a couple of years ago and performed extremely well. Siobhan’s always pushed Jade really hard for a starting position anyway. She brings something different.
‘She maybe won’t carry as much as Jade, but she is very good in contact situations and also has good skills, so we’re looking forward to seeing how Siobhan gets on. She’s excited and she wants to take the opportunity.
‘Overall, it’s been tough to select the team, which has been a real positive as it shows there is good strength in depth within this squad. The team that will take the field has an exciting blend of youth and experience.
‘We have several players who have been involved in a number of Six Nations now, but we also have a lot of upcoming talent pushing for places in the team.
‘As a management group, we are looking for players to express themselves on both sides of the ball and also showcase the hard work that they have put in over this difficult period.
‘The group have worked incredibly hard, so we’ve had a good amount of preparation ahead of the tournament, but we are now just ready and excited to get back on the pitch and play.’