Scotland Women U19 squad selected for School Games

Scotland Women U19 will compete in a rugby sevens tournament at the School Games at Loughborough University this weekend (1 – 3 September).This will be the fifth year the development side have competed in the School Games, which is a multi-sport event for the UK’s elite young athletes of school age.An extended Scotland Women U19 squad was selected in July with regular training days held in the lead up to the tournament.Head Coach Louise Dalgliesh selected a final squad of 12 to travel to Loughborough where they will gain valuable experience against regional sides from England, Wales and Ireland.Dalgliesh said: “While the squad offers young players an opportunity to improve their skills individually, it also introduces them to high performance environments and allows them to challenge themselves against the best players in their age group.”The standard among the group is very good. Some girls have come in with more experience in certain areas than others, such as senior rugby or playing at the School Games last year, but they are working extremely well together. We are really trying to encourage them as a squad to set and maintain their own high standards.The girls are a fantastic group to work with and they have improved with every session. The coaching team have been impressed with just how willing they are to learn as well as the energy and effort they bring to each camp.”The squad also provides an additional development opportunity for coaches. Dalgliesh, who coaches Edinburgh University Women 2XV and Broughton Women, is joined by Assistant Coach Claire Cruikshank, who is the Head Coach of Edinburgh University Women.The former Scotland Women internationalists are in the first intake of the Female Coach Mentoring Programme, launched by Scottish Rugby in 2016 to develop up and coming coaches in the women’s game.Dalgliesh said: “Being involved has given me the opportunity to coach in this environment for the first time and challenged me to consider how every session is delivered to get the best of out the players and allow them to progress.”With a relatively short time frame before competition, prioritising the needs of the squad and deciding what areas to focus on was extremely important. Hopefully we have been able to do that effectively. “Results will be posted on the School Games website here.   Scotland Women U19 7s squad to play in the Schools Games at Loughborough UniversityFriday 1 September – Sunday 3 September 2017 Rebecca Bestwick (Garioch)Sula Callender (Murrayfield Wanderers)Evie Gallagher (Stirling County)Vicky Goodwin (Stirling County)Melanie Grant (Hillhead Jordanhill/Grange Academy)Charlotte Hope (Murrayfield Wanderers)Elis Martin (Hillhead Jordanhill)Kirsty Martin (Stirling County/Hillhead Jordanhill/Lenzie Academy)Morven Rough (Perthshire Rugby)Erin Sinclair (Stirling County)Emma Turner (Murrayfield Wanderers)Rachel Waddell (Ayr/Hillhead Jordanhill)