A North Lanarkshire teenager has been selected for the Scotland Rugby U18 Women’s squad for their upcoming Six Nations festival tournament which starts this week. Cailin Lardner, 17, who previously lived in Allanton before her family moved to Hartwood, was amongst the forwards named by the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) when the 28-strong travelling squad was announced this week. A former pupil at St Patrick’s Primary in Shotts before moving to Greenfaulds High in Cumbernauld, Cailin has been playing rugby since she was 13 years old, starting off during Covid at her dad Steven’s former club Lenzie RFC. It was there that her talent for the game was first noticed. Her proud dad Steven, said: “We were advised to move her to Scotland’s top girls’ rugby side Stirling County, where she has remained until this day. “Cailin was then offered her first Scotland Performance Pathway contract at 15 years old. For the last three seasons she’s been within the pathway working towards the U18 Six Nations Tournament held at Wellington College in England from Friday, April 11. “Scottish Rugby selected Cailin officially as part of the travelling 28 to go down and compete as part of the Scotland team and we couldn’t be more proud of her achievements. The U18 6 Nations Tournament is the toughest U18 women’s event globally and includes France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Italy and England. Steven added: “Women and girls’ rugby prides itself on being a sport for all. It continues to be one of the world’s fastest growing sports and I hope by sharing a snapshot of Cailin’s success that other girls may be inspired to take up rugby, or any other sport for that matter.” Speaking ahead of their travel to Wellington College, Lindsey Smith said: “This festival is really exciting but it will definitely be challenging but it means we can test ourselves against the best players from the other unions and help progress our players through the pathway. “We have three game days in total, with five fixtures so it gives us an opportunity to give everyone game time and exposure to international rugby. Finishing on the 70-minute fixture gives us something to build towards throughout the week. “For many players this will be their first experience of something at this level, but our preparation over the last few months and providing a regular training environment through the Regional Training Centres will put the players in a better position than years gone by.” Scotland will play 35-minute matches against France, Wales, England and Ireland before finishing with a 70-minute match against Italy. They will play both Wales and France in back-to-back matches on Friday, April 11, then they will take on England and Ireland on Tuesday, April 15, before finishing off with the 70-,minute match against Italy on Saturday, April 19. All fixtures will be broadcast live on Scottish Rugby’s website: https://scottishrugby.org *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here . And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here .