Edinburgh University student Celia Hawthorn has been promoted to the 26-strong Scotland Women’s squad named by coach Gary Parker for the 2010 6 Nations Championship.

Hawthorn, 20, who first played rugby with her brother Ben at her local rugby club in Moffat, Dumfriesshire, impressed during a training weekend against the Irish Women earlier this month.

Celia Hawthorn

Parker told www.scottishrugby.org : “She did really well.  She’s mainly played as a wing or a centre but I gave her a run at full-back in our training match against Ireland in Belfast and she took her chance.”

Hawthorn, a third-year sports science student, has graduated from the Scotland under-18 and Scotland Women’s Development teams.

Elsewhere in the squad Parker is pleased to welcome back Susie Brown, the powerful Richmond No 8, who returns from injury.

He added: “This coming year (2010) is massive for women’s rugby.  We’ve got the 6 Nations and then the World Cup in England later in the year.  There’s great enthusiasm and commitment from the Scotland Women’s squad and an enormous willingness to learn and improve.”

The training game against the Irish was played at the Belfast Harlequins’ snow-covered ground and though the Irish scored five unanswered tries, Parker determined the exercise as worthwhile. “The training game helped both Jared (Tuoro, the assistant coach) and I identify areas we need to work on and we are preparing a programme to address certain areas,” he explained.

Due to the wintry weather, a planned Scotland Women’s training session this weekend has been postponed, as has a Scotland Women’s A session on Sunday.  Sessions for both squads are now rescheduled for 9 and 23 January.

Scotland Women 6 Nations 2010 Selection

Beth Dickens – tighthead prop – Murrayfield Wanderers

Cara D’Silva – wing – Royal High Cougars

Christina Ovenden – centre/wing – Richmond

Donna Kennedy – openside flanker – Worcester

Erin Kerr – centre/stand-off – Richmond

Gilly McCord – lock/prop – Royal High Cougars

Heather Lockhart – prop – Hillhead/Jordanhill

Joy Lyth – lock – Royal High Cougars

Katy Green – wing/centre Murrayfield Wanderers

Keri Holdsworth – No 8 – Watsonians

Laura Steven – centre – Murrayfield Wanderers

Lindsay Wheeler – lock – Team Northumbria

Louise Dalgliesh – scrum-half – Royal High Cougars

Louise Moffat – lock – Murrayfield Wanderers

Lucy Millard – full-back/centre – Team Northumbria

Lynne Reid – flanker – Royal High Cougars

Rosalind Murphy – prop – Edinburgh University

Ruth Slaven – flanker – Murrayfield Wanderers

Celia Hawthorn – back – Edinburgh University

Sarah Gill – scrum-half – Murrayfield Wanderers

Sarah Quick – hooker – Murrayfield Wanderers

Sarah-Louise Walker – hooker – Watsonians

Susie Brown – No 8 – Richmond

Tanya Griffith – stand-off – Royal High Cougars

Veronica Fitzpatrick – centre/wing – Royal High Cougars

Victoria Blakebrough – wing/full-back – Richmond

Scotland Women’s A squad

Alison Macdonald – hooker – Royal High Cougars

Annabel Sergeant – centre – Dundee

Ciara Baxter – full-back – Dundee

Claire Bain – stand-off – Royal High Cougars

Dawn Hope – centre – (no club listed)

Jemma Forsyth – back-row – Grangemouth

Joan Hutchison – hooker – Hillhead/Jordanhill

Julia Blair – scrum-half/wing – Team Northumbria

Julie Sanaghan – full-back – Kirkcaldy

Lindsay Smith – prop – Hillhead/Jordanhill

Lisa Martin – scrum-half/stand-off – Murrayfield Wanderers

Louise Gray – prop – Henley

Lynsey Douglas – wing/full-back – Wasps

Mairi Forsyth – prop – Grangemouth

Megan Gaffney – wing – Murrayfield Wanderers

Morag Paterson – wing/centre – Darlington Mowden Sharks

Natalya Macholla – lock – Stirling County

Nikki McLeod – hooker – Edinburgh University

Sarah Dixon – wing – Watsonians

Stephanie Johnston – centre – Hillhead/Jordanhill

Tess Forsberg – flanker – Murrayfield Wanderers