Rhea Clarke handed first Scotland start for WXV opener against Canada

Scotland have handed scrum-half Rhea Clarke her first international start for Saturday’s WXV Global Series opener against Canada at Hive Stadium in Edinburgh. BBC Sport reported the selection on Thursday, with Evie Gallagher also returning to the starting side at openside flanker.

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Clarke has made four appearances for Scotland but will now begin a Test for the first time. Her promotion is a significant opportunity at the start of a demanding international programme, with Canada providing the first opposition in Scotland’s three-match home series.

Gallagher’s inclusion restores an experienced option to the back row. Scottish Rugby said when announcing its wider 32-player squad in August that the Bristol Bears forward had recovered from an injury that kept her out of the 2026 Women’s Six Nations. The governing body listed Gallagher with 40 Scotland caps at the time.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 4:10 p.m. local time on September 12. It launches Scotland’s campaign in the revamped WXV Global Series, a competition involving the world’s leading 12 women’s teams in a home-and-away, cross-regional format across the September and October international window.

Canada arrive in Edinburgh after reaching the final of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, where they lost to England. Scottish Rugby noted that the teams have met at four World Cups and that Canada won their most recent match on Scottish soil, edging a 28-25 contest at Scotstoun in 2018.

Scotland will remain at Hive Stadium to face New Zealand on September 19 and Australia on September 26. Their programme then continues with two away matches against Australia in October. The immediate task, however, is a difficult opening test against Canada, with Clarke making her first start and Gallagher returning to reinforce the pack.