Ireland v Scotland Women | Summer Test Preview

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - APRIL 26: Scotland's Emma Orr (C) in action during a Guinness Women's Six Nations match between Scotland and Ireland at The Hive Stadium, on April 26, 2025, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ewan Bootman / SNS Group)

What they said

Head Coach, Bryan Easson said:

“Obviously we are in a Rugby World Cup preparation period. We have had a really good preseason where everybody has put their hand up for selection going into our first Pool game against Wales. That has been our focus over this time.

“There were a lot of good performances against Italy I felt, but the first 20-25 minutes was rusty but that second half we performed really well, I felt the bench that came on really stepped up and brought intensity.

“Selection this weekend is not just based on last week but looking ahead to that Wales game.

“Hannah has been great since she’s come into the group. She was involved over the Six Nations, and there was a real reason as to why because she’s really shown so much potential. She has a huge future ahead of her. As a person she has fit in really well to the squad, she is very coachable and as a rugby player I thought he showed real maturity on her first cap last week. The first kick off was straight to her, she took it well, made a turnover in gold zone and made some really good decisions and that shows the mark of the person and the mark of the player.

“Last week we wanted to learn and see where we are after preseason, see how our new system changes in attack would go. Last week was about learning, this week is about what we do in the game, it’s not just about what we have taken from preseason, this is real Test match level performance and giving all our focus to it.”

How they line up

Previous meetings

2025: Scotland 26-19 Ireland, Hive Stadium, Scotland
2024: Ireland 15-12 Scotland, Kingspan Stadium, Belfast
2023: Scotland 36-10 Ireland, Hive Stadium, Edinburgh
2022: Ireland 15-14 Scotland, Kingspan Stadium, Belfast
2021: Scotland 20-18 Ireland, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma (Rugby World Cup Qualifier)

Statistics

• This weekend Rachel Malcolm will start in the second-row, becoming the first player since Jade Konkel to have started across all three rows of a scrum. Her first start came against Ireland in 2017, when she was handed the number 2 jersey.
• Rachel McLachlan earns her first ever test start at blind-side flanker.
• Last week, Lana Skeldon became the fifth Scotland Women’s player to score 20 tries.
• Hannah Ramsay becomes the youngest player to start at fly-half since Lisa Martin in Scotland’s 2011 test against Spain.
• Beth Blacklock could earn her first Test cap since the 2023 Six Nations should she come off the bench.