Scotland Women Selected For Play-Off With Canada

After Saturday’s bonus-point victory over Sweden at the Rugby World Cup, Scotland Women have already increased their world ranking by one place and now sit in eighth position, above both Wales and South Africa. Having reached their initial target bracket of fifth to eighth position after the pool fixtures, Scotland Women now have a return match against Canada, in the semi final play-off for fifth place at Surrey Sports Park tomorrow (kick-off 4.15pm). The selection sees Stephanie Johnston switch to full back with Lynsey Douglas replacing her on the wing. Tanya Griffith comes off the bench into the starting fifteen at stand off, along with Louise Dalgliesh at scrum half. Flanker Tess Forsberg moves to the bench, looking to win her debut cap. Said head coach, Gary Parker: It was great to reach our short-term aim of fifth to eighth place, but our long-term aim is to be in the top six. We showed how we can play in the second half of the first pool game against Canada, and we’ve been building on that performance. The first twenty minutes of this game will be massive.  Scotland Women were defeated by Canada and France before the win over Sweden and, says performance manager, Jo Hull, players and coaches have been working hard to continue the improvement. We’re getting into a style of play that suits our team and we’ve shown, in the last two games, that we can match the physicality that’s been prevalent at this World Cup. The team have continued to be just as focused after two weeks – they know this is the most important week of the tournament. The team features a mix of experience – such as Donna Kennedy, who will be earning her 114th cap, and captain Lynne Reid – alongside younger players like Ruth Slaven and Katy Green who have come through Scottish Rugby’s performance pathway. Said Hull: We can see the results of the system we have in place before us now at this tournament. Through the exciting, highly watchable games and the publicity generated by this World Cup, women’s rugby is now making people sit up and take notice. We have to carry on this momentum, in Scotland, to get even more women and girls into the sport.To read an interview with Scotland’s most capped rugby player, and the world’s most capped women’s rugby player, Donna Kennedy, click here Scotland Women v Canada, Surrey Sports Park, kick-off 4.15pm 15 Stephanie Johnston (Hillhead / Jordanhill)  14 Katy Green (Murrayfield Wanderers) 13 Lucy Millard (Team Northumbria) 12 Veronica Fitzpatrick (Royal High Cougars) 11 Lynsey Douglas (London Wasps) 10 Tanya Griffith (Royal High Cougars) 9 Louise Dalgliesh (Royal High Cougars) 1 Heather Lockhart (Hillhead / Jordanhill) 2 Alison Macdonald (Royal High Cougars) 3 Gillian McCord (Royal High Cougars) 4 Susie Brown (Richmond) 5 Lindsay Wheeler (Darlington Mowden Park) 6 Lynne Reid CAPTAIN (Royal High Cougars) 7 Ruth Slaven (Murrayfield Wanderers) 8 Donna Kennedy (Worcester) Substitutes 16 Sarah-Louise Walker (Watsonians) 17 Beth Dickens (Murrayfield Wanderers) 18 Louise Moffat (Murrayfield Wanderers) 19 Keri Holdsworth (Watsonians)20 Tess Forsberg (Murrayfield Wanderers)21 Suzi Newton (Team Northumbria)  22 Nicola Halfpenny (Melrose) Referee: Javier Mancuso (Argentina) Assistant referee: Dana Teagarden (USA)Assistant referee: Gabriel Lee (Hong Kong) What happens nextThe winner of the Scotland v Canada fifth place play-off will meet the winner of the other semi final, between Ireland and the USA, to contest the fifth and sixth placings. The losers of these games will meet to contest seventh and eighth places. Both these game, along with the other tournament finals, will be played on Sunday 5 September. Rugby fans who buy tickets for the WRWC 2010 will automatically be put onto a ticketing information list for the Rugby World Cup in 2015, to be hosted in England. For more information on tickets, please go to: www.rwcwomens.com