Wales centre Hannah Jones will captain her side in their Women's Rugby World Cup opener against Scotland this Sunday, with squad captain Siwan Lillicrap being named on the bench as Sioned Harries claims the starting No. 8 jersey.
Ioan Cunningham's Wales side must beat Scotland on Sunday, October 9 (5.45pm local time/5.45am UK kick-off) if they are to have any hope of making the quarter-finals, as they also face reigning champions New Zealand and big-hitters Australia in Pool A.
There had been much talk over whether Lillicrap's squad captaincy would translate to her starting given the pressure Harries has provided since breaking back into the Wales squad after a three-year absence, but Cunningham is keen to stress it is about the matchday 23 as a whole. Lillicrap offers cover across the back row and at lock, too.
Jones, who captained the side in both pre-tournament friendlies, will be joined in the midfield by Megan Webb, cousin of Wales internationals Rhys Webb and Tommy Reffell, who makes her first start in more than two years. She missed the 2022 Six Nations due to having had glandular fever, and her last start came against France in 2020.
Elinor Snowsill starts at fly-half while Ffion Lewis is selected to set the tone at scrum-half, with half-backs cover coming in the form of Robyn Wilkins and Keira Bevan on the bench. Kayleigh Powell lines up at full-back alongside wings Jasmine Joyce and Lisa Neumann, who has returned to full fitness to reclaim her starting jersey having missed the warm-ups against Canada and England. Lowri Norkett, capped for the first time in August, provides wing cover among the replacements.
In the pack, Georgia Evans will make her first Wales appearance since breaking her arm eight months ago when she lines up in the second row alongside Natalia John. They will pack down behind front-rowers Cara Hope, Carys Phillips and Donna Rose, while Alisha Butchers and Alex Callender complete the back-row alongside Harries. Kelsey Jones, Caryl Thomas and Cerys Hale provide the front-row cover from the bench, with Lillicrap and Bethan Lewis completing the finishers.
Wales head coach Cunningham said: "It was a tough decision to finalise the side. There were a lot of discussions on top of watching them in detail whilst training and how they went against Canada and England.
"But one thing we are clear on, is that it’s about the matchday 23 and not just the 15 who start on Sunday. It’s about how we can impact the game in different ways. We feel the starting 15 we have gone with, plus the replacements we have named, are more than capable of getting the result that we need.
"We hope to hit the ground running and try to capitalise on the chances we make. It’s about taking every chance that comes our way. There are no second chances in what is effectively knockout rugby."
It's safe to say Scotland's World Cup hopes also rest on this opener. Bryan Easson's squad will be especially keen to avenge their 24-19 defeat to Wales at Cardiff Arms Park during this year's Six Nations, when the women in red staged a thrilling second-half comeback to steal the win. These two opponents know each other well and their contests are invariably tight, with Scotland sealing a 27-20 win in 2021 at Scotstoun, where Wales won by two points at the death in 2019. Twelve months earlier, it was decided by a single point to Wales' favour.
"Scotland are a very decent side and it will be a different game now - you can look back at that game in Six Nations but both sides have changed since that game," Cunningham added. "It is who adapts and reacts best on the day and who reacts to the occasion."
Essentially, expect a tight affair at the Northland Events Centre in Whangarei within which both teams throw the kitchen sink at coming away with a win, as there are two quarter-final spots on offer for the best-performing third-placed teams across three pools of four countries.
As for Scotland, head coach Bryan Easson has named a settled team for the opener.
Hooker Lana Skeldon packs down alongside Molly Wright and Christine Belisle in the front-row, while Emma Wassell links up with Sarah Bonar in the second-row and No. 8 Jade Konkel anchors a formidable back-row with captain Rachel Malcolm and Louise McMillan.
Helen Nelson forms a half-back partnership with Caity Mattinson, while Hannah Smith partners Lisa Thomson in the midfield. The back-three sees Chloe Rollie at full-back, with Megan Gaffney and Rhona Lloyd lining up on the wings.
Scotland boss Easson said: "When the players take to the pitch on Sunday, it will mark a moment that has been 12 years in the making for Scotland Women so it will be incredibly poignant for everyone involved and hopefully for those watching back home too. It will be crucial that we keep our composure and focus for the full 80 minutes. Our joint training session with South Africa last weekend provided an excellent opportunity to analyse and tighten up on certain aspects of our game and I know the players are now raring to go against Wales."
Wales v Scotland will be broadcast live on ITV and S4C Clic, with a full replay on the latter at 5.15pm on Sunday.
Wales: 15. Kayleigh Powell, 14. Jasmine Joyce, 13. Megan Webb, 12. Hannah Jones (capt), 11. Lisa Neumann, 10. Elinor Snowsill, 9. Ffion Lewis, 1. Cara Hope, 2. Carys Phillips, 3. Donna Rose, 4. Natalia John, 5. Georgia Evans, 6. Alisha Butchers, 7. Alex Callender, 8. Sioned Harries.
Replacements: 16. Kelsey Jones, 17. Caryl Thomas, 18. Cerys Hale, 19. Siwan Lillicrap, 20. Bethan Lewis, 21. Keira Bevan, 22. Robyn Wilkins, 23. Lowri Norkett.
Scotland: 15. Chloe Rollie, 14. Rhona Lloyd, 13. Hannah Smith, 12. Lisa Thomson, 11. Megan Gaffney, 10. Helen Nelson, 9. Caity Mattinson, 1. Molly Wright, 2. Lana Skeldon, 3. Christine Belisle, 4. Emma Wassell, 5. Sarah Bonar, 6. Rachel Malcolm (capt), 7. Louise McMillan, 8. Jade Konkel.
Replacements: 16. Jodie Rettie, 17. Leah Bartlett, 18. Elliann Clarke, 19. Lyndsay O’Donnell, 20. Eilidh Sinclair, 21. Mairi McDonald, 22. Meryl Smith, 23. Shona Campbell.
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