Women’s National Bowl Final preview

Match action during the 2025 Women's National Bowl Final at Scottish Gas Murrayfield back pitches.

This Saturday (9 May) will see Falkirk RFC take on Gala RFC in the Women’s National Bowl Final as both sides look to round off their campaigns with silverware.

The match will kick-off at 1.15pm, with the trophy being presented to the winning team at Hive Stadium during half-time of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations fixture between Scotland and France.

Falkirk arrive in the final having built momentum through their campaign, most recently registering a hard fought 19-5 away victory over Musselburgh RFC. Elsewhere on their route to Scottish Gas Murrayfield, they defeated Aberfeldy 69-0 and BanffBroch 59-0.

Falkirk captain Morven Hylands reflected on what it means to the entire squad: “The full team is absolutely buzzing for the final. This opportunity hasn’t come by chance, every single player has earned it through hard work and commitment.

“What we’ve achieved in just two short years is incredible and it shows in how much this means to everyone, whether they’ve been part of the team for months or since the start.

“We’re proud to represent Falkirk and show what this team stands for. We’ve grown into an inspiring and supportive group where everyone works hard for each other and takes pride in what we’re building. We’re incredibly grateful to our coaches for their constant support and the standards they’ve set for us, they’ve played a huge part in getting us here.

“No matter what happens on the day I’m so incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved so far, this would just be the icing on the cake to an already fantastic season. We can’t wait to show exactly what Falkirk RFC Women are capable of.”

Their head coach, Callum Hunter, is also looking forward to their big fixture this weekend: “The team have come a long way since we started just over two years ago. There’s an excellent mix across the team with nine former youth players involved in the final.

“We have also got a large group of players who first started playing rugby with Falkirk seniors and its great to see them doing so well and having the opportunity to play in a final so quickly into their careers.

“There’s been some interesting journeys within the team, including Sara Bowden who returned to us this season having given birth to twins this time last year, Lauren Baigrie only started playing this summer after watching the Women’s Rugby World Cup, and Karen and Aimee Hunter who are playing as mother and daughter.”

Gala, meanwhile, secured their place in the final with a commanding 91-0 win over Aberfeldy Rugby Club in the National Bowl semi-final at Netherdale, setting up what promises to be a compelling contest in the final.

Gala’s head coach, Corey Polson, commented on the squad’s journey from their origins to the final, saying: “As a coach I couldn’t be prouder of the team, to start with absolutely nothing four years ago and build from scratch has been some task but the commitment from the team has been incredible.

“Every single player out there has worked their socks off from, the amount of focus to get here has been amazing given most of these players had never played before they arrived at Gala.

“There’s a great buzz around the team and hopefully they can go out and play some good rugby with a smile on their face. We’ve been playing some of our best rugby yet and the team just keep getting stronger by the game. Here’s hoping for more of the same.”

Ticketing

Supporters looking to attend the fixture will require a Guinness Women’s Six Nations ticket for Scotland v France, with turnstiles opening at 12:30pm for those attending the Women’s National Bowl Final only.

Tickets are available here.