Wales host Scotland as they kick off their 2024 Women's Six Nations campaign at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday.

Qualification for the 2025 Rugby World Cup is also at stake this year.

Whoever finishes highest out of Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy will secure their place at the showpiece event next summer.

Hosts England and France are already qualified.

Classification for the WXV tournaments that take place in autumn 2024 is also on the line during the championship, with the top three teams playing in WXV1.

Fourth and fifth-placed teams will enter WXV2, while the bottom team will enter a play-off system, the loser of which will end up in WXV3.

Team News

Wales:

Former England Under 20s captain Jenny Hesketh makes her Wales debut.

She qualifies for Wales through her Welsh mother and linked up with the squad in February after impressing at full-back for Bristol Bears this season.

Jasmine Joyce is released from GB sevens duty and is part of an exciting back three with Hesketh and 19-year-old Nel Metcalfe, who has been running in tries for fun at Gloucester-Hartpury.

Scrum-half Sian Jones is set for a first cap off the bench after catching the eye in the recent cross-border Celtic Challenge competition.

Wales' pack remains the same as last year with Natalia John returning after missing WXV.

Scotland:

Scotland have named largely the same side that beat Japan last autumn to clinch the WXV2 title.

Flanker Alex Stewart is set to win her first cap after impressing for Edinburgh in the Celtic Challenge.

It is after head coach Bryan Easson said he expects Jade Konkel to miss all of the tournament through injury.

Stewart is joined in the back row by skipper Rachel Malcolm.

Scotland have three GB Sevens players in their match day squad.

Rhona Lloyd starts on the wing, Lisa Thomson at centre while Shona Campbell returns on the bench.

Commentator's notes

Sara Orchard: Wales now have more than 30 players on full-time contracts. The investment by the Welsh Rugby Union into its women's programme has been swift and is accelerating.

However, that investment needs to be repaid with performances. Anything less than another third-place finish and that precious World Cup qualification secured, will be disappointment for Wales.

Closing the gap to England and France would also be significant, not just for Wales. but the validity of the tournament and its structure going forward. In 2023, Wales lost by 56 points to England and by 25 points to France - if they can get that 81-point gap closer to 40 we will all be getting very excited.

Gloucester-Hartpury fly-half Lleucu George will be tasked with handling much of this pressure following the retirement of Elinor Snowsill. The 24-year-old has the opportunity to become a Wales great.

With Sioned Harries also hanging up her boots, this is a tournament where the likes of Sisilia Tuipulotu and Keira Bevan need to come of age and put on a show that will entice the Welsh public to go to the Principality Stadium for a showdown with Italy in round five.

On paper, Scotland's women are flying. A fourth-place finish last year was their best in six years, a WXV2 title in the autumn followed and then Edinburgh produced a strong showing in the Celtic Challenge by finishing second. Results, momentum, depth - tick, tick, tick.

Here comes the 'but' - their fixture list is horrible. With home games against England and France, all the pressure is on them to pick up wins away from home. They have also lost their star player in Jade Konkel to injury.

The task is huge but the depth of the squad is where Scotland can finally hang their hat. Just looking at tight-head prop, where they have the likes of Elliann Clarke, Lisa Cockburn and Christine Belisle all putting in a shift for their Premiership sides, shows their potential.

Views from both camps

Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham said: "Scotland are on a winning streak at the moment and with confidence from winning WXV2.

"It's all on Saturday. We are pleased that we are at home in front of our fans and we have got to try and start as well as we can.

"If we can start well it gives us a foothold in the table and then we can turn our eyes to England, but this first challenge of Scotland is the hardest one to begin with.

"We have to stick to the game plan that will hopefully get us across the line on Saturday."

Scotland head coach Bryan Easson said: "It probably is the strongest squad I've been involved with.

"When you are sitting looking at a bench that has got Shona Campbell, Chloe Rollie, Rachel McLachlan, you've got some players there that when you want to change the game, you've got potential to do that.

"It's testament to the squad we've got.

"We've had some really good fixtures with Wales in the past, but we've concentrated really hard on ourselves.

"We were pretty happy with our performance [in WXV2], but the goals for us is to keep improving."

Line-ups

Wales: Jenny Hesketh; Jasmine Joyce, Hannah Jones, Kerin Lake, Nel Metcalfe; Lleucu George, Keira Bevan; Gwenllian Pyrs, Kelsey Jones, Sisilia Tuipulotu, Natalia John, Abbie Fleming, Alisha Butchers, Alex Callender, Bethan Lewis.

Replacements: Carys Phillips, Abbey Constable, Donna Rose, Georgia Evans, Kate Williams, Sian Jones, Niamh Terry, Carys Cox.

Scotland: Meryl Smith; Rhona Lloyd, Emma Orr, Lisa Thomson, Coreen Grant; Helen Nelson, Caity Mattinson; Leah Bartlett, Lana Skeldon, Christine Belisle, Emma Wassell, Sarah Bonar, Rachel Malcolm, Alex Stewart, Evie Gallagher.

Replacements: Elis Martin, Molly Wright, Elliann Clarke, Louise McMillan, Rachel McLachlan, Mairi McDonald, Shona Campbell, Chloe Rollie.

Match facts

Head-to-head:

Wales:

Scotland:

Match officials

Referee: Clara Munarini (FIR)

Touch judges: Sara Cox (RFU), Holly Wood (RFU)

TMO: Leo Colgan (IRFU)