Hannah signs off from five-game stint with Scotland under-18s
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Caithness rugby starlet Hannah Dunnett has signed off from her stint with Scotland under-18s with a demanding schedule at the Six Nations Festival in the south of England.
The Thurso High pupil played in five internationals during the 10-day competition at Wellington College in rural Berkshire which ended on Saturday. While that marks the end of her competitive 15-a-side season, she needs to stay fit as she has been selected for the Scotland under-20s' summer camp.
Hannah returned home from the festival on Sunday, on her 18th birthday.
She said the event had been an exhausting but memorable experience. She and the other scrum-half, Rebekah Douglas, of Corstorphine Cougars, shared game time throughout the series.
Scotland lost all their matches – 0-15 to England; 7-17 to Wales; 0-44 to France; 5-31 to Ireland; and 15-19 to Italy.
Hannah said: "The games were pretty competitive apart from the French one. They are all professional players and they were a class apart.
"It was pretty full on as, apart from the matches, we trained every morning. Overall it was a great experience."
Hannah, in her second year with the national squad, managed to score a try in the Irish match.
She was named in the Six Nations team of the week – the sole Scottish representative to be included.
France racked up a mountain of points, completing a grand slam with a 57-19 mauling of England on Saturday.
Hannah now has her sights set on nailing a place in the U20 squad and also plans to attend the Scottish U18 Sevens trials.
It's all go for her as she heads off after the summer to start a physiology and sports science course at Glasgow University.
Hannah came up through the mini and junior ranks at Caithness RFC, where her father Sinclair is the head girls and U18 women's coach.
She spent the second half of the past season playing for Edinburgh side Heriot's Blues but is weighing up an offer from fellow Premiership side Hillhead/Jordanhill.
Hannah, who has turned out for Caithness Krakens, is in no doubt where her heart lies.
"Caithness will always be my proper club," she said.
Her former Caithness club colleague, Edinburgh student Morven Thomson, was also selected for the national U18 squad but was forced to drop out through illness.
Mr Dunnett said: "Morven is now nearly back to full health so hopefully she'll be back playing again soon."
Two other Caithness rugby girls, Laina Munro, from Easter Ross, and Sarah-Jane Dunnett, from Watten, spent last weekend at the end-of-season Scotland U16 training camp.
