Scotland have confirmed their Scotland WXV team selection for Saturday’s clash against Australia at Hive Stadium. It is the final home fixture of this year’s WXV Series. Interim head coach Dave Butcher has made four changes to the side beaten 66-14 by New Zealand. Two big returns from injury sit at the heart of it. Rachel McLachlan is back at openside flanker. Evie Wills starts at outside centre, and Sarah Bonar and Hannah Ramsay also come into the starting fifteen. Lana Skeldon wins her 90th cap, moving to second on Scotland’s all-time list. Leia Brebner-Holden returns to the matchday squad for the first time this campaign.
Breaking News Alert & Headline Changes
The scale of the New Zealand defeat forced Butcher’s hand. Four alterations is a significant reset for a side chasing a positive finish to the series. The changes fall in both the pack and the backline. According to the BBC Sport report on the Scotland selection, injuries to Rachel Philipps and Emma Wassell have opened the door for Wills and Bonar. Ramsay’s second start comes at the expense of Chloe Rollie.
Skeldon’s landmark cap adds a note of celebration. It sits inside a squad otherwise built around recovery and reshuffling. We covered the build-up to this series in our earlier report, and Saturday’s selection shows just how much has shifted since then through injury alone.
Official XI & Bench Breakdown (home side)
Confirmed changes to the Scotland starting line-up:
- Openside flanker: Rachel McLachlan, back from injury, with Eva Donaldson moving to the bench.
- Outside centre: Evie Wills, starting in place of the injured Rachel Philipps.
- Lock: Sarah Bonar, her first start since the 2025 Rugby World Cup quarter-final against England, replacing injured lock Emma Wassell.
- Full-back: Hannah Ramsay, her second Scotland start, with Chloe Rollie dropping to the bench.
- Hooker: Lana Skeldon, winning her 90th cap and becoming Scotland’s second-most capped women’s player.
Eva Donaldson and Chloe Rollie both drop from the starting side. Leia Brebner-Holden is named among the replacements after recovering from injury. It is her first involvement in a matchday squad this campaign.
The changes tell a clear tactical story. Bringing McLachlan back at openside restores a ball-carrying, breakdown-focused option after a defeat where Scotland were emptied out at the collision. Her return should sharpen turnover pressure and add go-forward to the back row. Donaldson stays in reserve as an impact option rather than dropping from the group entirely.
In midfield, Wills coming in for Philipps changes the shape of Scotland’s outside channels. She offers a more direct running threat at outside centre. That should ease pressure on the fly-half by giving Scotland a second ball-carrier close to the gain line, rather than relying purely on width.
Bonar’s recall in the second row is about experience as much as size. A player who started a World Cup quarter-final brings a settling influence to a pack that shipped a heavy score against the All Blacks. Her lineout work matters against a big Australian forward unit.
Ramsay’s second start at full-back, alongside Rollie’s move to the bench, points to a coach after more attacking width from deep. It is a selection built on returning fitness. Together with Skeldon’s milestone afternoon, it gives this Scotland WXV team selection a settled feel even after a heavy defeat.
Official XI & Bench Breakdown (opponent)
Australia arrive at Hive Stadium for Scotland’s last home match of the WXV Series. Both sides will use the fixture to shape their form heading into the closing rounds. No official Australia team sheet has been confirmed as part of Scotland’s own announcement. We cannot detail their starting fifteen or bench here.
What is clear is the scale of the task facing the hosts. Scotland conceded 66 points to New Zealand last time out. Butcher’s changes suggest a side looking to tighten up defensively as much as add attacking threat. A settled front five, with Bonar and Skeldon offering experience, should help Scotland compete at the set piece regardless of who Australia select.
For supporters at Hive Stadium, the return of McLachlan and Wills adds real weight to this fixture. So does Skeldon’s 90th cap. Scotland get one more chance, in front of a home crowd, to show that the New Zealand scoreline was an outlier rather than a trend.
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