Shankland to make Scotland debut in Six Nations clash
Stirling County winger Rachel Shankland has been picked to make her Scotland debut in Sunday’s Six Nations clash against France at Scotstoun.
The national side are returning to action after a long layoff as they look to complete the championship which was disrupted by the Covid- 19 pandemic. The Scots were due to host France in March but the game was postponed after an unnamed member of the home team tested positive for coronavirus.
Scotland lost their opening t wo Six Nations matches to Ireland and England in February and have not played since.
They also lost head coach Philip Doyle who was shielding from coronavirus risks then agreed to step down after furlough leave to avoid any potential disruption.
His assistant, Bryan Easson, has been placed in interim charge and has picked Shankland to make her debut in a back three alongside the experienced Chloe Rollie and Megan Gaffney. Easson said: “We obviously were due to play France back in March, so we’ve done a lot of preparation for this match, but we’ve changed a couple of things since then.
“France are a physical, combative side who will look to exploit any opportunity they can get, so we are focused on getting off to a positive start and using this opportunity to test ourselves under pressure.
“It’s been pleasing to see the players pushing for places ahead of the World Cup qualifiers and Rachel Shankland has been rewarded for her efforts over the past couple of weeks as she now looks to make her debut. It’s also great to have Megan Kennedy and Abi Evans back from injury.”