Sione Fukofuka is the first headcoach to announce his Six Nations training squad.
In this way he can reassure the, SRU that he has his first finger right on the pulse. He took charge only in October last year.
He has offered 38 names, 21 forwards and 17 backs
A key element is the nine uncapped players, who have been appearing in the Celtic Challenge. The worry is that Glasgow Warriors (5th) and Edinburgh Rugby (6th) have mustered just four wins out of 20 combined matches.
And Glasgow lie a full 5 points behind Brython in fourth. The presence of these talented youngsters hasn’t been enough to swing results.
Next stop
This squad will eventually be fined down to 32 it will be fascinating to see whether any of the uncapped players can unseat established figures in the ranks. That’s where a new man in charge can offer a different opinion about respective merits
Captaincy
We hardly need to be told that Rachel Malcolm will be in charge. This will be her eighth year leading the side. In that time she has seen Scottish standards rise dramatically. She holds the Scottish record for captaincy, male or female: 53 times and counting.
What lies in store?
The big unknown is the effect Fukofuka can have had in his five months at the helm. I see his main task in building a pack strong enough to provide a threatening set of backs with plenty of ball. Even during the recent buoyant spell, the nuts and bolts of the set-scrum and line-out have been less than reliable.
With the return of Meryl Smith to partner Emma Orr in the centre, that should give a pack back-3 plenty of opportunities.
Comings and goings
Inevitably there will be faces missing through injury, most notably Lisa Thomson and Sarah Bonar. As a counter-balance Scottish fans will be delighted to see the return of Louise McMillan and Campbell.
Fixtures
18 April: v Wales away
25 April: v England home
25 April: v Italy away
9 May: v France home
17 May: v Ireland away
The schedule isn’t entirely in their favour. They have three away games, two at home. They meet their toughest opponents at home, leaving them – in all probability – needing to gain important points in hostile territory.
The big event will be a first scheduled visit to Murrayfield, lying right next door to their regular home of the past few seasons, the Hive.
The men’s team beat England recently. How about a repeat for the women in front of a record crowd?
