Scotland ready for Spanish exam

Scotland have been in Spain this week for a ten-day training camp, which reaches its climax on Sunday (22nd November) in Valladolid when they meet Spain in a full international.

The camp, and indeed the game, are significant for a whole host of reasons, not the least of which it is yet another sign of how much the support for the women’s team has changed since Shade Munro and Sheila Begbie came together to lead the women’s game in Scotland only a few months ago. Scotland have not undertaken anything like this 10-day training tour for perhaps 10 years – their last significant overseas trip of this length being the Canada Cup in the summer of 2005.

It is unfortunate that this revolution has come perhaps 12-18 months late. Regardless of how they perform this season, Scotland’s results in last year’s Six Nations have left them so far behind Wales and Italy in pursuit of the two automatic places in the 2017 World Cup that it is not an exaggeration to suggest that they would have to all-but win the Six Nations this season to bring themselves back into contention.

As a result this game has a real significance as the two teams will almost certainly be meeting again in around a year’s time to play-off for Europe’s final place in the Ireland in the summer of 2017.

Spain and Scotland have met some 16 times in the past, but since the expulsion of the Spanish from the Six Nations the two teams have only met only once, nearly five years ago in January 2011 when Spain were fairly comfortable winners by 28-13 and, especially given home advantage, it is the Spanish who will be expected to start as narrow favourites.

However Spain will be shorn of their all of their sevens stars for this game, giving the team a very different look to the one that finished ninth in Paris just over a year ago. 36 year-old flanker Arora Gonzalez is likely to lead the team which includes some experienced players, especially up front, with the likes of Wasps’ Isabel Rico and Saracens’ Jaenina Vinueza, plus some backs who played in Marcoussis such as Lourdes Alameda at centre and Africa Felez. However the 26-player squad includes four Under-20s, the youngest being 17-year old scrum-half Anne Fernandez, and is therefore likely to feature a whole raft of new caps, most of whom will never have played non-Spanish opposition before. In short, this is a squad that is very unpredictable.

Scotland have brought 37 to Spain, including 10 young academy players, so it is even tougher to guess how they will perform even before the effect of the Munro/Begbie partnership is taken into account. The trip has mainly included the usual range of fitness, drills and skills training – but has also included some cultural days out in Salamanca and opportunities for all participants to work towards their UKCC Level 1 coaching qualifications by taking part in coaching sessions at the Valladolid Rugby Club.

It is these activities that enabled the SRU to part-fund the trip with the assistance of grants from Erasmus+ (a programme established by the European Commission that allows students and employees to experience cultural and work exchanges throughout Europe, through vocational and educational training) – another example of some excellent awareness of opportunities by the new management team. It will be interesting to see how many other teams from EU countries learn from this example!

It is expected that the match, which kicks off as 12.30 local time (11.30 GMT) will be streamed live. Watch theSpanish RFU websitefor details.

Scotland Women Squad15-25 November 2015ForwardsKatie Dougan* (RHC Cougars / Edinburgh University)Lindsey Smith (Hillhead Jordanhill)Heather Lockhart (Hillhead Jordanhill)Debbie Falconer (Stirling County / Stirling University)Lana Skeldon * (Hillhead Jordanhill)Sarah Quick (Murrayfield Wanderers)Emma Wassell * (Murrayfield Wanderers)Fiona Sim (Saracens)Jennifer Johnston (Hillhead Jordanhill)Catriona Syme (Murrayfield Wanderers)Deborah McCormack (Richmond)Anna Stodter (Saracens)Lucy Park * (Murrayfield Wanderers)Jemma Forsyth (Hillhead Jordanhill)Karen Dunbar (RHC Cougars)Jade Konkel * (Hillhead Jordanhill)Tracy Balmer (Worcester)Kirsty Reid (Community School Of Auchterarder)Nicola Howat (Howe of Fife/University of Edinburgh)Siobhan McMillan (Cartha Queens Park)BacksJennifer Maxwell (Leeds Beckett University / Lichfield)Nicola Halfpenny (Melrose)Lisa Martin* (Murrayfield Wanderers)Claire Bain (RHC Cougars)Lisa Thomson* (Melrose / Edinburgh University)Rhona Lloyd (Murrayfield Wanderers / Edinburgh University)Lauren Harris (Eccles)Eilidh Sinclair* (Murrayfield Wanderers)Chloe Rollie* (Murrayfield Wanderers)Fionidi Parker (DMP Sharks / Northumbria University)Emily Irving (Ayr)Abigail Evans (Hillhead Jordanhill)Sarah Law * (Murrayfield Wanderers / Edinburgh University)Jayne Paterson (RHC Cougars)Ellie Wilson (Murrayfield Wanderers / Lismore)Megan Gaffney (Hillhead Jordanhill)Rachel Shankland (Stirling County)