The former England winger Matt Banahan has joined the Scotland Women backroom staff as one of the assistants to head coach Bryan Easson, who yesterday announced an initial training squad of 32 for October’s WXV2 tournament in South Africa.
Now 36, Banahan played the majority of his club rugby with Bath, and won 16 caps between 2009 and 2011. He has taken over in the national set-up from Chris Laidlaw, who has opted to concentrate on his wider role within Scottish Rugby as a performance development coach.
“I’m really excited to join the Scotland Women programme,” Banahan said in a press release from Murrayfield. “I’ve been seeing the growth of the women’s game and from my experience of playing for so many years, along with my coaching experience, I thought there was no better place to pursue my coaching career. I’ve coached in academy programmes and with other teams and I thought this was the perfect progression to pass on knowledge from where my passion stems from.”
Easson, who already has another ex-Bath and England player on his staff in the shape of forwards coach Martin Haag, believes that Banahan’s background and attitude will ensure a seamless transition from Laidlaw. “We got to a really good place last season with Chris and I’m really pleased with the way that he developed our attacking game,” he said. “Chris has since made the decision to give his full focus to his role as Performance Development Coach in the pathway system and we wish him all the best.
“We wanted to bring in someone [of] the same ilk, who has recently been involved in the game from a playing perspective and has the energy and rugby knowledge to take the players to the next level.”
The squad of 32, which is split equally between forwards and backs, convened yesterday at the start of a six-week training camp which will culminate in the friendly against Spain at the Hive Stadium on Saturday 30 September. It includes two newcomers in Edinburgh University back Holly McIntyre and Garioch forward Nikki Simpson, and is bolstered by the return of a number of experienced internationals who missed some or all of last season’s Six Nations Championship.
The Team GB Sevens trio of Shona Campbell, Rhona Lloyd and Lisa Thomson, for example, are all back in the fold after being absent for part of last season as they took part in a successful battle to qualify for the Rugby Sevens at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. Four other players - Sarah Bonar, Lisa Cockburn, Jenny Maxwell and Emma Wassell - return after lengthy absences caused by injury.
As the normal first-choice partnership in the second row, Bonar and Wassell were especially missed during the early rounds of the Six Nations. The way in which the team recovered to win their last two matches, however, suggests that neither that pair nor any of the other established names can expect to walk into the team for the three WXV2 matches.
Indeed, apart from Rachel Malcolm and Helen Nelson, who have been confirmed as captain and vice-captain respectively of the squad, there are perhaps no more than two or three others who, fitness permitting, can be sure of holding down a place in the starting line-up.
Scotland’s first opponents in WXV2 are the hosts, South Africa, whom they meet on Friday 13th October. They then play the USA and Japan over the following two weekends.
Scotland Women extended training squad:
Forwards: Leah Bartlett (Leicester Tigers), Christine Belisle (Loughborough Lightning), Sarah Bonar (Harlequins), Elliann Clarke (Bristol Bears), Lisa Cockburn (University of Worcester Warriors), Eva Donaldson (Leicester Tigers), Evie Gallagher (University of Worcester Warriors), Jade Konkel (Harlequins), Rachel Malcolm (Loughborough Lightning, captain), Elis Martin (Leicester Tigers), Rachel McLachlan (Sale Sharks), Louise McMillan (Saracens), Lana Skeldon (University of Worcester Warriors), Nikki Simpson (Garioch), Emma Wassell (Loughborough Lightning), Anne Young (Sale Sharks).
Backs: Beth Blacklock (Saracens), Shona Campbell (GB 7s), Coreen Grant (Saracens), Caity Mattinson (University of Worcester Warriors), Jenny Maxwell (Loughborough Lightning), Mairi McDonald (Exeter Chiefs), Francesca McGhie (Leicester Tigers), Holly McIntyre (University of Edinburgh), Rhona Lloyd (GB 7s / Les Lionnes du Stade Bordelais), Liz Musgrove (Wasps), Helen Nelson (Loughborough Lightning, vice-captain), Emma Orr (Heriot’s Blues / Biggar), Lisa Thomson (GB 7s), Chloe Rollie (Loughborough Lightning), Eilidh Sinclair (Exeter Chiefs), Meryl Smith (Bristol Bears).
