News & Features International Scotland Women

Scotland to participate in Six Nations Women’s U21 Series

22 Jan 2026

Following the success of the U20 Women’s Summer Series, which has seen six Scottish players graduate from the age grade competition go on to earn senior honours, the Six Nations has introduced a Women’s U21 Series, taking place in April and May this year.

during the 2025 Six Nations Women’s Summer Series game between England and Scotland in the Centre of Sporting Excellence, Caerphilly, Wales, Saturday, July 5th, 2025 (Photo by Andrew Dowling / Inpho)

Evolving from the Six Nations Summer Series format, where all six countries would compete in a week-long festival format, in 2026 and 2027, teams will now take part in two home fixtures and one away, or vice versa.

The format change is designed to echo the training week and travel element of the elite tournament, to better prepare players for the rhythm of the Women’s Six Nations. As per previous years, Unions can select up to five U23 players, bringing the age profile of players closer to that of the Women’s Six Nations, to further enhance the opportunities for graduation into the elite game, after relevant experience.

To align the elite and pathway competitions even further, Round One of the U21 fixtures will correlate with Round Two of the Women’s Six Nations, offering a weekend of double headers in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Galway, and the opportunity for fans to attend two fixtures in one day, given the proximity of venues to each other in respective cities.

Andy Rhys Jones, Scottish Rugby’s Head of Women’s Performance and Pathways said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to align the pathway fixtures and performance standards more closely with the senior competition.

“Over the last three years, the series has proven to be an important platform for player development, and this enhanced format offers an even greater opportunity to challenge and stretch players in a high-quality, competitive environment. We’re excited to see the next generation of players step forward and embrace this experience.”

More information on the programme including coaching, squads and ticketing will be announced in due course.

Fixtures

Scotland v England – Saturday 18 April, KO 11am, Hive Stadium, Edinburgh
France v Scotland – Saturday 2 May, KO TBC, Stade Maurice Trelut, Tarbes
Scotland v Italy – Sunday 10 May, KO 1pm, Hive Stadium, Edinburgh