Scotland A team to play August fixture against European opposition

Scottish Rugby have announced that a Scotland Women A team will travel to Amsterdam to take on the Netherlands in late August.

Scotland A will be coached by Claire Cruikshank, who was recently appointed as Women’s National Academy manager after several seasons leading Edinburgh Rugby in the Celtic Challenge.

Cruikshank’s new role will see the former Scotland international oversee the new National Academy Programme and National Talent Pathway.

Prior to her role with Edinburgh Rugby, Cruikshank has served as Head of Women’s Rugby at Edinburgh University as an assistant coach with Scotland’s senior national team.

The Scotland A fixture is aimed at providing game time at a Test match standard for players in contention for Scotland selection against a team ranked in the top 20 of the World Rugby rankings.

The last time a second-string Scotland team played was in 2016 when a Scotland XV lost 15-0 to a Wales XV at the Cardiff Arms Park.

Andy Rhys-Jones, Head of Women’s Performance and Pathways, said: “We’re pleased to have arranged this fixture for the Scotland Women A squad against the Netherlands next month.

“This match provides an important opportunity for players to experience the demands of international rugby, gain valuable game time at Test level, and continue their development in a high-performance environment.

“It also gives us the opportunity to assess how players perform at this level, which is invaluable as we continue to build depth across the women’s programme ahead of WXV and future international competitions.”

At this year’s Rugby Europe Women’s Championship, the Netherlands finished second in the four-team competition. Spain went unbeaten to claim their 13th title, while the Netherlands beat Portugal and Belgium.

In September, the Netherlands will come up against Brazil, Fiji, Hong Kong China, Samoa and Spain at the WXV Global Series Challenger which will be hosted at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park.