Scotland Women head coach Jules Maxton admits she has named the side to face Ireland in their Six Nations opener on Friday with one eye on the future.
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Maxton, in her first campaign as head coach, has named four uncapped players to head to Ashbourne RFC, near Dublin, for the opening match of the 2014 Six Nations Championship.
Deborah McCormack, who starts in the second row, Lisa Robertson, Emma Wassel and Anna Stodter have all been given the chance to gain their first cap with their inclusion in the squad.
Old heads Lindsay Wheeler, Heather Lockhart and Louise Dalgliesh – all whom have broke the 60 cap mark – are also named in the travelling 23.
Maxton said: “The uncapped players named are those we see as having great potential for the future, with one of the aims for this season being to provide opportunities for new players moving forward over the next few seasons.
“For us it’s about the balance of having experience, and developing and rebuilding our team.
“We’ve got the return of Ruth Slaven, Lisa Martin and Gillian Inglis, all whom have a great deal of experience and are very important for our team.
“This is a new team and this weekend we want to set the standard for ourselves. We can’t just say we want to win, we have to look at how we achieve that. We’re working really hard on what our performance outcomes are for the game and if we can improve on them on a week to week basis, the wins will come.”
SCOTLAND TEAM TO FACE IRELAND:
15. Stephanie Johnston (Worcester) 14. Katy Green (Darlington Mowden Park) 13. Annabel Sergeant (Richmond) 12. Gillian Inglis (Melrose) 11. Megan Gaffney (Hillhead-Jordanhill) 10. Lisa Martin (Murrayfield Wanderers) 9. Sarah Law (Murrayfield Wanderers)
1.Tracy Balmer (Worcester) 2. Sarah Quick (Murrayfield Wanderers) 3. Lindsey Smith (Hillhead-Jordanhill) 4. Jade Konkel (Hillhead-Jordanhill) 5. Deborah McCormack (Richmond) 6. Tess Forsberg (Richmond) 7. Ruth Slaven (Murrayfield Wanderers) 8. Lindsay Wheeler (Saracens)
Replacements: 16. Nikki McLeod (Stirling County) 17. Lisa Robertson (Murrayfield Wanderers) 18. Heather Lockhart (Hillhead-Jordanhill) 19. Emma Wassel (Murrayfield Wanderers) 20. Anna Stodter (Loughborough University) 21. Louise Dalgliesh (RHC Cougars) 22. Tanya Griffith (RHC Cougars) 23. Laura Steven (Murrayfield Wanderers)
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