Contract talks had no impact on Wales selection - Cunningham

Women's international friendly: Scotland v Wales

Venue: The Hive, Edinburgh Date: Friday, 6 September Kick-off: 19:35 BST

Coverage: Watch live on BBC Alba, BBC Sport website and app, updates on BBC Radio Wales

Head coach Ioan Cunningham says ongoing contract talks have had no bearing on his selection for Wales' friendly against Scotland.

Captain Hannah Jones, Carys Phillips, Alex Callender, Abbie Fleming, Georgia Evans and Lisa Neumann are among a number of regular starters not included in the matchday squad for Friday's trip to Edinburgh.

BBC Sport Wales understands player contract discussions with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) have been ongoing for several months, with pay high on the agenda.

But Cunningham said the reasoning behind his decision to include under-20s players is to expose them to Test rugby, with the World Cup being less than a year away.

This time last year Wales had 32 full-time professional players, but talks surrounding new deals have been start-stop amid the Six Nations and the WXV2 play-off.

Asked if the situation had impacted Friday's team selection, Cunningham said: "Not at all.

"As a coaching group, we've looked at this as an opportunity to blood some young players, to expose them to this level, that has always been our plan.

“They [the contracts] are being resolved. It’s part of pro sport.

“Discussions and negotiations are going on, but nothing has changed from our point of view with regards to our preparations and mindset.”

Friday’s captain, Keira Bevan, said: “As far as I’m aware the process is over now and we’re into Test week.

“Everything is sorted and we’re happy with where we are with our contracts.”

Wales play Scotland ahead of travelling to London next week to train against world champions New Zealand, which Cunningham said “will be awesome for us”.

Australia will be the final warm-up on 20 September before Wales head to South Africa to play in WXV2.

Cunningham hinted that performance was a possible reason for player omissions.

Wales endured a torrid Six Nations before salvaging a win against Italy to set up a WXV2 play-off against Spain that Wales also won.

“We’ve given honest feedback to our players with regards to a couple of areas, where we feel they are," he said.

"With regards to their level of condition at the moment, we want to give players some more time to work on that.

"Also, we want to give players time to reflect, step away and focus on themselves a bit more, areas of their game.”

Experienced scrum-half Bevan has been chosen to lead the side for the first time in Jones’ absence.

“Hannah has been unbelievable over the Six Nations campaign, taking a lot on, both on the field and off the field,” added Cunningham.

“It’s an opportunity for her to find her feet again, enjoy the rugby, do what she’s good at.

“She cares deeply about this team, cares deeply about her performance and how she holds herself. Her professionalism is exceptional, she’s a huge part of this team whether she’s on the field or in a different role.

“The person comes first and we’re going to build back up ready for WXV and it’s just taking those smaller steps towards that.”