Team GB Sevens star Jasmine Joyce and Cardiff Blues scrum half Rhiannon Parker will make their full debuts at Broadwood Stadium on Friday night. Wales are out to get back on track against a Scotland side who also suffered a heavy loss last weekend.
The Scots were beaten 55-0 by France hours after Wales’ defeat at the hands of the Red Roses. And Phillips believes the time is right to give some fresh faces a shot.
He said: “We’ve said from day one that we have a lot of trust and respect for our squad and the girls who have come into the team have made a big impression in training. We also want to give players an opportunity to develop at this level. We have to keep building and give players like Jaz a taste of international rugby.
“It wasn’t that difficult to pick the squad up after England, we had to face up to the reality of the situation and that helped us move on very quickly. We spoke after the game and in training and that was enough. We learn from what we’ve experienced, and I want to move forward. The energy from the first session has been focused on Scotland and that’s what we want.”
Scotland are yet to taste victory in this season’s Women’s Six Nations, but Phillips is under no illusions about the size of the challenge that lies ahead.
He said: “It’s going to be a challenge up at Scotland, we had a rude awakening against England but Scotland will be ready for this as well. They have some good players and play very direct rugby. We’ve had similar results so it will be tough.”
