Forwards
Rated on Attack, Defence, Breakdown and Set Piece
1. Leah Bartlett: Did everything well, especially tackling. – (A6.5/D7.5/B7/S7) Overall: 7/10
2. Lana Skeldon: The lineout looked better than last week, but still work to do. I assume there was some tactical decision allowing the front row fewer carries, as Skeldon had joint-most of the Scottish front row players, with… three carries. – (A6.5/D7/B6.5/S7) Overall: 7/10
3. Christine Belisle: Made the kind of big, crunching tackles I like, and saved the day with quick thinking at a couple of lineouts. – (A6.5/D7.5/B7/S7.5) Overall: 7/10
4. Louise McMillan: The most successful tackles of any Scotland player (16). Had some great carries and a high work rate. – (A6.5/D8.5/B6.5/S6.5) Overall: 7/10
5. Sarah Bonar: Quieter than last week but didn’t do much wrong. – (A6.5/D7/B6.5/S6.5) Overall: 6.5/10
6. Rachel Malcolm: Carried often and well. Solid in defence as always! – (A7.5/D7.5/B6.5/S6.5) Overall: 7/10
7. Alex Stewart: Exceptional in attack and made 13 tackles, including a dominant one. You couldn’t complain if Stewart was awarded player of the match, and I’m delighted she got her first Scotland try. – (A9/D9.5/B7/S6) Overall: 8/10
8. Jade Konkel: A mixed performance: some excellent tackling, rucking, and a classic Konkel offload, but gave away a couple of penalties. – (A6.5/D7.5/B7/S6.5) Overall: 7/10
Backs
Rated on Attack, Defence, Breakdown and Influence
9. Caity Mattinson: A couple of passes to the shoelaces but otherwise another good performance for Mattinson. – (A7/D7/B6/I7) Overall: 7/10
10. Helen Nelson: Good distribution and worked well with Mattinson and Thomson, and tidied up a few balls that would otherwise have gone awry. I keep being so impressed with her defence, which included a dominant tackle. – (A7/D7.5/B6.5/I6.5) Overall: 7/10
11. Francesca McGhie: A Fran-tastic (sorry) try! McGhie did well in attack throughout but didn’t look as solid in defence. – (A8/D6/B6.5/I6.5) Overall: 7/10
12. Lisa Thomson: Her boot was unbelievable once again. Thomson was also getting stuck right in at the breakdown when required. – (A7/D7/B7.5/I9) Overall: 7.5/10
13. Meryl Smith: Attack almost flawless in a player of the match display. Tackled crunchingly and her conversion was *chef’s kiss*. Her kicking from hand faltered a bit in the second half but overall another excellent performance – in another different position! – (A9.5/D7/B7/I7) Overall: 7.5/10
14. Rhona Lloyd: Since when could Lloyd kick?! Both kicks from hand looked awkward but were effective!
Not the right choice to keep the ball in play, leading to the first Japanese try. Took her own try well. – (A8/D7.5/B7/I7) Overall: 7.5/10
15. Chloe Rollie: Honestly, Rollie had a bit of a nightmare. She just could not deal with the Sakura XV’s kicks in the first half, although this did improve as the game went on. – (A7/D6/B6/I4.5) Overall: 6/10
Replacements
Rated on Attack, Defence, Breakdown and Impact
16. Elis Martin: Carried like her life depended on it and had some flashy offloads! – (A8/D6/B6/I8) Overall: 7/10
17. Lisa Cockburn: Tackled dominantly and carried well. – (A7/D7/B6/I6) Overall: 6.5/10
18. Anne Young: Lost the ball from one of her first carries, but had a great dominant tackle. – (A5.5/D6.5/B6/I6) Overall: 6/10
19. Evie Gallagher: There were exclamation marks after every sentence I wrote in my notes about Gallagher. An excellent break and a final, crucial turnover two outstanding points. – (A7.5/D6.5/B8/I8) Overall: 7.5/10
20. Eva Donaldson: A good lineout target and threw herself into the breakdown. – (A6/D6/B7/I7) Overall: 6.5/10
21. Leia Brebner-Holden: Brebner-Holden’s service remains sharp, and who doesn’t love a cheeky scrumhalf turnover? – (A6/D6/B8/I7) Overall: 7/10
22. Emma Orr: Seemed to shine in attack when she came on, but gave away a couple of turnovers. A crucial part of Lloyd’s try. – (A7.5/D6.5/B6/I7) Overall: 7/10
23. Lucia Scott: N/A – (A6/D6/B6/I6) Overall: 6/10
