Hawthorn Promoted To 6 Nations Squad

Edinburgh University student Celia Hawthorn has been promoted to the 26-strong Scotland Women’s squad named by coach Gary Parker for the 2010 6 Nations Championship. Hawthorn, 20, who first played rugby with her brother Ben at her local rugby club in Moffat, Dumfriesshire, impressed during a training weekend against the Irish Women earlier this month.    Parker told www.scottishrugby.org : “She did really well.  She’s mainly played as a wing or a centre but I gave her a run at full-back in our training match against Ireland in Belfast and she took her chance.” Hawthorn, a third-year sports science student, has graduated from the Scotland under-18 and Scotland Women’s Development teams. Elsewhere in the squad Parker is pleased to welcome back Susie Brown, the powerful Richmond No 8, who returns from injury. He added: “This coming year (2010) is massive for women’s rugby.  We’ve got the 6 Nations and then the World Cup in England later in the year.  There’s great enthusiasm and commitment from the Scotland Women’s squad and an enormous willingness to learn and improve.” The training game against the Irish was played at the Belfast Harlequins’ snow-covered ground and though the Irish scored five unanswered tries, Parker determined the exercise as worthwhile. “The training game helped both Jared (Tuoro, the assistant coach) and I identify areas we need to work on and we are preparing a programme to address certain areas,” he explained. Due to the wintry weather, a planned Scotland Women’s training session this weekend has been postponed, as has a Scotland Women’s A session on Sunday.  Sessions for both squads are now rescheduled for 9 and 23 January.