Thank you again and good night
That is all from us at Hive Stadium. Thank you for following along, catch you next time.
That is all from us at Hive Stadium. Thank you for following along, catch you next time.
Just look at those faces!
A massive thank you to all 6375 of you for coming out and getting behind Scotland. Couldn’t have done it without you!
SENSATIONAL!
She has been everywhere and scored a try of her own, Rachel McLachlan is today’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations Player of the Match.
FRANCESSCA MCGHIE IS OVER!!! That has secured Scotland the win. Nelson makes the conversion. What a way to close out our Guinness Women’s Six Nations campaign.
This could be fundamental. Ireland are offside and we have the penalty. We have gone ot the corner. McLachlan collects stunningly.
Ireland have a forward pass and Scotland will have the scrum in Ireland’s half.
Scotland had the scrum. Lucia Scott was then dragged into touch but the Irish lineout was squint. Scotland opt for the lineout just outside Ireland’s 22. However, they have lost the ball.
Ireland won another penalty at the scrum. Ireland played a couple of phases before Emily Lane was able to cross the whitewash from close range. O’Brien’s conversion was successul. It’s all even with less than ten to go.
Helen Nelson has been shown a yellow card as a result of multiple team infringements. Scotland will likely play the rest of the match with 14.
Ireland have opted for another scrum.
Ireland have won a penalty at the scrum. They have opted for another scrum less than ten metres from Scotland’s line.
Ireland knock on from the lineout and Scotland will have the scrum.
Helen Nelson attempted a pass similar to that of George Horne’s for Glasgow last night but she was in touch and Ireland have the lineout in Scotland’s 22.
Molly Poolman has come on for Elliann Clarke. Elis Martin is on for Lana Skeldon.
That’s the ten minutes on the yellow card up and Lucia Scott has come on to replace Rhona Lloyd permanently.
Scotland built up the phases and Rachel McLachlan was in the perfect spot on the left wing to run it in. Helen’s conversion is successful. Scotland lead by seven points.
Scotland win a penalty as Ireland hold onto the ball. Scotland will have the lineout just outside of Ireland’s 22.
We are still in our own half but a knock on from Ireland has given Scotland the scrum.
Ireland had build up an attack but the last pass went into touch and Scotland will have the lineout on their own 22 metre line.
We’ve gone to the TMO twice in the last few minutes.
First we went upstairs to check try or no try for Ireland – the try was awarded and the conversion unsuccessful. Second, we went upstairs for a high tackle from Rhona Lloyd and whilst she is sat in the assessment room, she has been given a yellow card under bunker review and Lucia Scott has come back off.
Lucia Scott comes on for Rhona Lloyd who has gone for a HIA.
Ireland win a penalty at the breakdown and will have the lineout in our half.
It’s been a shift from Leah Bartlett, and she makes way for Anne Young in the first of our changes.
The line out is perfect and Scotland drive forward, and then Nelly launches the ball deep into the Irish half where they spill the ball, giving Scotland a scrum outside of the 22. LET’S GO!!!!
Scotland keep Ireland out and win the penalty! Thommo’s boot takes us out of the 22.
Lisa Thomson did well to gather and exit from the restart for an Irish line out inside Scotland’s half. But Scotland have been pinged for being offside and Ireland have kicked to the 22 for another line out. Defence needs to be solid now…
No changes for Scotland as we go into the second half. Ireland get things going again… here we go!
LET’S GO SCOTLAND!!!!!!!!!
What a first half here at Hive Stadium. That try from Orr was crucial there.
SENSATIONAL! The break from Sarah Bonar, the chase from Rhona Lloyd and then the run in from Emma Orr to put Scotland in the lead at halftime. Helen makes the conversion. Just what we needed!
Ireland pushed for a score, but Thommo manages to hold them up.
The TMO has intervened and we’re going back for an Ireland penalty for a push from Evie Gallagher. Ireland kick for the lineout on our own five metre line.
Scotland have put in a massive defensive shift in the last few minutes and Scotland’s Rachel Malcolm and Elliann Clarke held up Ireland over the tryline.
Ireland have won a free kick at the scrum.
Scotland have turned the ball over in the red zone. They kicked to clear and some great defence from the home side forces the Ireland knock on and another Scotland scrum.
Ireland have won a penalty as Scotland didn’t roll away in the tackle. Ireland kick and had the lineout. They mauled and have now won another penalty. They’ll have the lineout on Scotland’s five metre line.
Some strong defence from Scotland forced Ireland to kick through and the ball bounced out just short of the tryline to give Scotland some respite. They’ve kicked from their 22 metre line. Ireland have the possession.
Ireland gained possession quickly after the restart and build up some phases, but a knock on gives Scotland the scrum just outside of their own 22.
Scotland were able to drive over from close range and it was Lana Skeldon who crossed the whitewash.
Nelson missed the conversion.
Ireland had claimed possession from a kick, but sensational work from Evie Gallagher got over the ball and won a crucial penalty in Ireland’s 22.
Nelly kicks to the corner and we will have the lineout just five metres out.
Ireland had knocked the ball on from Thommo’s kick and we had the lineout. We set up an attack but the ball spilled out the left hand side and Ireland had a lineout of their own. O’Brien cleared their lines and Scotland are on the attack again.
We have a break in play here as Ireland’s Dorothy Wall receives some treatment. She will take no further part in today’s match. We wish her well.
What a great kick from Thommo to get us out of our own half.
Ireland knock the ball on from the lineout and Scotland had the scrum. Ireland responded to Nelson’s kick with a kick of their own and Scotland had the lineout in their 22.
Ireland win the penalty as Scotland come in at the side at the breakdown. Ireland have kicked downfield and have the lineout in our 22.
Scotland were turned over, and Ireland’s Molly Scuffil-McCabe made a break and passed out to Amee Leigh Costigan to open the scoring here at Hive.
Dannah O’Brien’s conversion successful.
Ireland knock it on and we will have another scrum.
Helen Nelson puts a great kick in and Ireland are pinned in our half.
Ireland were unable to catch the clearing kick and we have the scrum just inside our own half.
Broken bits of play, lots of possession change, but Evie Gallagher has won the turnover in our 22. We will kick to clear and have the lineout.
Kick-off! We have retained possession.
We are delighted to welcome the nurses from Edinburgh Royal Infirmary who looked after Emma Wassell to deliver the match ball.
The teams have run out to our second biggest ever crowd here at Hive Stadium.
Scotland will kick off towards Scottish Gas Murrayfield.
And your Scotland team!
Here is our visitor’s team.
Good afternoon from Hive Stadium. We are just over half hour from kick off in Edinburgh for Round 5 of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations. The teams are here and raring to go.
Scotland’s 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations campaign was rounded off this afternoon in a thrilling encounter with Ireland which saw Scotland’s dominant defence and attacking flair earn them an emphatic win over their Celtic counterparts.
In the opening minutes of the game Scotland asserted their dominant defence on their visitors which continued for the full 80-minutes.
Scoring opened on the tenth minute of the game when Ireland turned over the ball at the breakdown, scrum-half Molly Scuffil-McCabe made the break up-field and found Vicky Elmes Kinlan on the wing who flew down the far side and over the whitewash. Stand-off Dannah O’Brien’s conversion from out wide was successful. [0-7]
Half-way through the first-half Scotland’s defence was ever dominant over Ireland’s attack. At every Irish attacking phase they drove them backwards before number 8 Evie Gallagher turned the ball over just outside the 22. Stand-off Helen Nelson kicked the penalty into touch for hooker Lana Skeldon to throw into the lineout on the five-metre line.
Skeldon found second row Sarah Bonar in the lineout and the pack mauled forward to allow Skeldon to secure the ball down over the tryline for the hosts opening score of the game. [5-7]
Ireland looked to be close to be the try line, pilling the pressure on Scotland with only five-minutes left in the half but the ever reliable Gallagher tuned the ball over on the try line for centre Lisa Thomson to kick it out of the danger zone.
Ireland crossed the whitewash twice more before the end of the half but neither time successfully thanks to Scotland’s defence held up twice, once by prop Elliann Clarke and the second time by Thomson.
In the final play before the end of the half, Bonar intercepted the Irish attacking line and hurtled up towards the halfway before fulfilling the dream of kicking the ball up-field for winger Rhona Lloyd to turn on her hot wheels in a foot race for the try line.
Although Ireland won the foot race they recycled it and kicked it out, but it didn’t make touch. Scotland kept a hold of the ball, worked their way through the phases to the other side of the pitch and back out to the far side to outside centre Emma Orr who raced in for their second try of the afternoon. Stand-off Helen Nelson’s conversion was successful [12-7]
Half-time: Scotland 12-7 Ireland
Ireland kicked off the second half and worked their way down into the Scotland 22 within the first 10 minutes of the half. The Scotland defence looked to be holding out just as strong as in the first 40-minutes although Ireland’s prop Linda Djougang did manage to, somehow, secure the ball down with O’Brien converting once again to make it 12-all. In the process of that try Scotland winger Rhona Lloyd was shown a yellow card and Scotland were reduced to 14 players.
Near the hour mark Scotland showed their attacking flair off the set piece and the line out maul got moving. They stretched the ball to either side of the pitch, recycling the ball with patience before it found its way to the far side with openside flanker Rachel McLachlan waiting on the wing to run in only her second try in 51 games for her country. Nelson once again added the extra two points on offer from the try line to extend Scotland’s lead by seven points. [19-12]
With 15-minutes left in the game Scotland’s discipline slipped and after the course of a few reset scrums it was a case of the next infringement will see a yellow card, unfortunately that was shown to Scotland stand-off Nelson.
Despite being a player down, Scotland held up a fourth Ireland try of the day, but the visitors manged to find their way over thanks to replacement back Emily Lane with O’Brien converting to make it 19-all with five minutes left in the game.
In what would be the final play of the game Scotland opted to kick their penalty to touch instead of taking the three points on offer. They backed themselves and it paid off, from the lineout, the ball worked its way to the far side for winger Francesca McGhie to dive over to win the game from Scotland, with Nelson (who had returned to the pitch for this last play) adding the extra two points for added sweetness.
Full-time: Scotland 26-19 Ireland
Scotland: Chloe Rollie (Trailfinders Women), Rhona Lloyd (Les Lionnes de Bordelais), Emma Orr (Bristol Bears), Lisa Thomson (Trailfinders Women), Francesca McGhie (Leicester Tigers), Helen Nelson (Loughborough Lightning), Leia-Brebner-Holden (Loughborough Lightning); Leah Bartlett (Leicester Tigers), Lana Skeldon, Elliann Clarke, (Bristol Bears), Jade Konkel, Sarah Bonar (both Harlequins), Rachel Malcolm (captain) (unattached), Rachel McLachlan (Montpellier), Evie Gallagher (Bristol Bears).
Replacements: Elis Martin (on for Skeldon, 63 mins), Anne Young (both Loughborough Lightning) (for Bartlett, 45 mins), Molly Poolman (Edinburgh Rugby/Watsonians FC) (on for Clarke, on 63), Becky Boyd (Loughborough Lightning), (Gemma Bell (Gloucester-Hartpury/Hartpury University), Rhea Clarke (Edinburgh Rugby/Edinburgh University), Evie Wills (Leicester Tigers), Lucia Scott (Gloucester-Hartpury/Hartpury University) (for Lloyd, 58 mins)
Ireland: Aoife Corey; Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Aoife Dalton, Enya Breen, Amee-Leigh Costigan; Dannah O’Brien, Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Niamh O’Dowd, Neve Jones, Linda Djougang, Ruth Campbell, Fiona Tuite, Dorothy Wall, Edel McMahon, Brittany Hogan.
Replacements: Cliodhna Moloney, Sadhbh McGrath, Christy Haney, Jane Clohessy, Claire Boles, Emily Lane, Eve Higgins, Stacey Flood.
Referee: Natarsha Ganley (NZR)
Assistant Referee 1: Holly Wood (RFU)
Assistant Referee 2: Amber Stamp-Dunstan (WRU)
TMO: Dan Jones (RFU)
FPRO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
Attendance: 6,375
Guinness Player of the Match: Rachel McLachlan (Scotland)
Kick-off 2:30 pm