Preview: Scotland v Spain

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 29: Helen Nelson during a Scotland Women's rugby training session at the Hive Stadium, on September 29, 2023, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

What they said

Head Coach Bryan Easson said: “It’s great to have the Spain fixture as when you go into any tournament it’s important you have an opportunity to pit yourself against different opposition with different playing styles.

“We know that when we go to Cape Town for WXV, we will be playing against South Africa and USA in the first two weeks who are both physical sides, but we are also playing against Japan who play more open-style, faster rugby and Spain fall into some of those categories.

“In terms of the selection, we’ve looked at a few permutations and some players who are coming back from injury who need game time so there is a really good mix of experience and youth in the squad for this weekend.”

The team

The stats

• Scotland have won their last two fixtures against Spain, winning 36-12 in Almeria in 2020 and 27-22 in Parma in 2021.
• Scotland go into the game on a two-game winning streak, having beaten Italy 29-21 and Ireland 36-10 at Hive Stadium in their final two matches of the TikTok Women’s Six Nations earlier in the year.
• Chloe Rollie made 606 metres in the 2023 TikTok Women’s Six Nations, the second highest of any player in the championship.
• Evie Gallagher made 81 successful tackles in the same tournament, the second highest of any player.