Borderers Lana Skeldon, Lisa Thomson and Chloe Rollie named in Scottish women’s rugby team to play Australia at weekend

Borderer Chloe Rollie tackling Ffion Lewis during Scotland's 18-15 pool A defeat by Wales on Sunday at the New Zealand 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup at Northland Events Centre in Whangarei (Photo by Michael Bradley/AFP via Getty Images)

Borderers Lana Skeldon, Lisa Thomson and Chloe Rollie have retained their places in the Scotland starting line-up now facing an uphill struggle to keep their 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign alive.

Hawick’s Skeldon and Thomson and Jedburgh’s Rollie were all in the Scottish team beaten 18-15 by Wales in New Zealand on Sunday, leaving them in need of an upset to have any chance of being among the three teams to qualify from their four-strong pool and progress to the competition’s quarter-finals.

They’ll be hoping just such an upset comes along this Saturday when the Scots, ranked tenth in the world, take on seventh-rated Australia at Northland Events Centre in Whangarei, with kick-off at 3am.

They’re currently third in their group with one point, just above the Australians, left without any points following a 41-17 defeat by reigning champions New Zealand, currently in pole position in their pool with five points and ranked second in the world after England, one ahead of the second-placed and eighth-ranked Welsh.

Scotland's Lana Skeldon during Sunday's 18-15 loss to Wales at the New Zealand 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup in Whangarei (Photo by Michael Bradley/AFP via Getty Images)

Hooker Skeldon, 28, is currently on 55 caps; centre Thomson, 25, on 47, and full-back Rollie on 51.

Skeldon was one of the Scots’ try-scorers on Sunday, with Megan Gafflet getting the other two, all unconverted.

Head coach Bryan Easson has made three changes to his starting line-up, bringing back Edinburgh’s Rachel McLachlan and Biggar’s Emma Orr at openside flanker and outside centre respectively, and moving Falkirk-born Hannah Smith to the left wing.

“We haven’t faced Australia before, so it’s going to be a different contest to last weekend,” said Easson, 49.

Lisa Thomson during a Scotland women's rugby team open training session at the Oriam in Edinburgh last month (Photo by Paul Devlin/SNS Group/SRU)

“With a six-day turnaround, we’ve had a greater focus on analysis than usual and it’s been important that the players recover and reset ahead of this Saturday.

“It’s great to have Rachel McLachlan and Emma Orr available for selection again.

“Australia have an abrasive back-row and we know that Rachel brings physicality to her game, while Emma really impressed us throughout the Women’s Six Nations after making her debut earlier this year.

“It was excellent to see some travelling support here in Whangarei last weekend and I know that the support from back home has also been outstanding.”

Skeldon will pack down alongside an unchanged prop pairing of Molly Wright and Christine Belisle, Thomson partners Orr in midfield and the back-three sees Rollie continue at full-back, with Smith and Rhona Lloyd lining up on the wings.

Making up the rest of the starting XV are Helen Nelson, Caity Mattinson, Emma Wassell, Sarah Bonar, captain Rachel Malcolm and Jade Konkel, with Jodie Rettie, Leah Bartlett, Elliann Clarke, Lyndsay O’Donnell, Mairi McDonald, Sarah Law, Evie Wills and Shona Campbell as replacements.