Hannah Walker says Scotland are 'raring to go' for what is set to be a fast and furious clash with France in the Six Nations Women's Summer Series.
Claire Cruikshank's side began their competition with a 17-13 defeat against Italy on Thursday, having been denied a try late on.
But the co-captain believes that defeat has only strengthened their desire to show what they are truly made of, starting against Les Bleuettes later today (5.30pm).
“The Italy defeat has left us ready and raring to go. We’ve got something to go after now,” said Walker.
“We play a very similar game to the French - we like to move the ball a lot - so hopefully it will be a really fast and exciting game for fans to watch and for us to play.
“It will be about going after the small wins. We need to take it to them, challenge them and disrupt them on the edge. We’ve got a lot of motivation and drive to go after [the win] now.”
Assistant coach Chris Laidlaw echoed the 19-year-old’s sentiments and urged his side to rise to the challenge of facing the talented French youngsters.
“We got a handle on the scrum early on against Italy and our line-outs functioned exceptionally well,” he said.
“Our intent to get the ball was also excellent and that caused problems defensively. That’s going to need to go up a notch against a very powerful, physical pack of France. We need to hit that head on.”
The Summer Series marks the first of its kind for the women’s under-20 age category and Laidlaw praised his squad for their commitment to getting the most out of the opportunity to compete at the highest level.
“The girls have dealt with everything really well,” he said. “We got through a hell of a lot of good work before this trip and we felt like the squad were in a really good place to come and compete.”
Head Coach Claire Cruikshank has made nine changes to the starting line-up for Scotland’s encounter with France, with Rhea Clarke stepping in at scrum-half.
She joins Hannah Ramsay, who comes off the bench to start at stand-off, while Lucia [Scott] will switch from number 15 to outside centre to allow Izzy [McGuire-Evans] to make her tournament debut at fullback.
“Rhea’s a real competitor, she brings a real tenacity in defence,” said Laidlaw. “We’re looking forward to her linking up with Hannah - both players bring a real tempo and energy to the game.
“That quick-tap mentality if we’re on the front foot is something we’ll be looking to bring against France.”
Clarke - who co-captained Glasgow Warriors in their debut Celtic Cup Challenge campaign last year - is one of many youngsters in the squad who are benefiting from the experience the inaugural competition is providing.
“This tournament is hugely exciting,” Laidlaw added. “For the players especially to have this exposure - three match days against high-quality international opposition - that’s nothing you can replicate.
“Hopefully the tournament stands those guys in good stead, especially the ones who are going to go through to WXV or the World Cup in 2025 and 2029. These experiences are so valuable.
“There’s no better challenge than having the opportunity to play arguably the world’s best under-20s team - I don’t think we’re afraid to say that - but there’s a real excitement and energy to go out and perform.
“The players have really bought into the ability to recover and reflect quickly post-Italy. The challenge for everyone now is to go out and apply those learnings in the next game. That’s massively exciting for the girls' growth and development.”
The Women’s Summer Series is available to fans all over the world via exclusive coverage on the Six Nations U20 YouTube channels, with supporting coverage across dedicated U20 Six Nations social media channels.
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