Jade Konkel blow but Scotland remain confident for Six Nations trip to Italy

Key player Jade Konkel will miss the remaining two rounds of the TikTok Women’s Six Nations with a rib injury, but head coach Bryan Easson believes the matchday 23 he has named still has the firepower to defeat Italy on Saturday.

No,8 Konkel, the 28-year-old who has 52 caps, went off with an issue against France in the last outing on April 10.

She trained at the start of this week and was “trucking along quite nicely”, according to Easson.

However, he said: “Then she had a bit of pain, we scanned her and decided after the scan that she would not come to Italy. She’ll be out this week and next [versus Ireland]. It certainly doesn’t rule her out of anything much further than that.”

Evie Gallagher moves from openside to No.8 - with Rachel McLachlan coming in at seven - to take Konkel’s place for the big round four game in Parma on Saturday evening between the two winless sides left in the competition.

The other changes to the starting pack see Molly Wright, often a hooker, earning her 13th cap and first start at loosehead prop while Emma Wassell is back in the second-row.

Scrum-half Caity Mattinson, stand-off Sarah Law and winger Shona Campbell have joined the backs and Easson said: “In the first three weeks we talked about performing and improving, but I think we’ve seen enough in our performances to say ‘right, it’s all about winning now’.”

Meanwhile, Easson has confirmed that the serious ACL knee injury sustained by loosehead prop Lisa Cockburn in round one against England will see her miss the World Cup in October and November in New Zealand.