Women’s Six Nations: Scotland v Ireland, Hive Stadium, Edinburgh, Saturday, 2.30pm – Live on Virgin Media One and BBC One Scotland
This could be construed as something of a dead rubber. There is certainly not as much on the line as has been the case in recent last-day Six Nations meetings, most notably a year ago when Ireland’s taut 15-12 triumph over Scotland in Belfast secured third place and as a result automatic qualification for both the World Cup and WXV 1.
There would be a world of difference in securing third place with a commanding third win out of five games 12 months on and rubber-stamping the huge strides taken by this Irish team in the last year.
Finishing third a year ago was a welcome upgrade on losing all five matches and earning the wooden spoon in 2023, but for starters it was achieved with two wins out of five and was indebted to Italy beating Wales on the final day in Cardiff.
There will be no good fortune or favours required to finish third this year if Ireland secure a third win out of three away games in this year’s Six Nations.
What’s more, were Ireland to win as convincingly as they did against Italy in Parma in round two, especially, and Wales in Newport last Sunday, it would emphatically endorse their standing as “the best of the rest” and the biggest challengers to the upper strata of England and France.
In truth, Ireland need to be more clinical than they were against Wales when leaving at least two or three tries behind through handing errors. This is no more than they would have said among themselves and it was reflected in the palpably anticlimactic reaction immediately afterwards of Scott Bemand, who previously worked with an English side that is nearly always ruthlessly clinical in such circumstances.
Although the defeats to France and England hurt, the disappointment was relative, not least as Ireland were significantly more competitive in both fixtures than they had been in the corresponding fixtures in recent years.
In its way, last week’s lack of satisfaction despite posting more than 40 points away from home was the first bump in the road in this Six Nations and is also a reflection of the huge progress this team has made in the last year and a half. Ireland are making serious progress but nowhere is this belief more important than among the players and staff themselves.
There will be a long four months to stew on this Six Nations before Ireland play their World Cup warm-up games in August, and how they sign off in Edinburgh will go some way toward determining how they view this Six Nations and how real the advances have been.
Even a laboured performance and win could serve to undermine the team’s self-belief and call into question the strides taken up to now on an almost game-by-game basis through the wins over Australia, New Zealand and the USA and in this championship.
By contrast, were Ireland to be more clinical in the Scottish 22 than they were a week ago and thus complete a convincing, statement win against opponents who have caused them issues and even some pain in recent years, it would fuel the team’s self-belief over the ensuing months and into the World Cup build-up.
With the World Cup in mind, a six-day turnaround is always an issue and, coupled with injuries, is beginning to highlight Ireland’s lack of real depth were Bemand and co required to dig much deeper, but this is still a good side.
The loss of the hugely influential Erin King for this Six Nations and the World Cup is a cruel blow, not least for the player herself. Even so, Ireland can still field a fairly complete backrow in Dorothy Wall, Edel McMahon and Brittany Hogan.
There’s also enough quality on a bench featuring Cliodhna Moloney, a second potential debutant in Jane Clohessy, daughter of Peter, Emily Lane, Eve Higgins and Stacey Flood, who will feel she has a point to prove; it looks well equipped to add impact and see the team through.
Ireland exorcised a few demons in Parma and need to do so again having lost here by 36-10 two years ago. Scotland will be fired up after their results to date. But Ireland have won 15 of their last 17 Six Nations matches against Scotland and reasserting that authority with a third win in the championship for the first time since 2020 would seal the most positive season in years.
SCOTLAND: Chloe Rollie (Trailfinders Women); Rhona Lloyd (Les Lionnes du Stade Bordelais), Emma Orr (Bristol Bears), Lisa Thomson (Trailfinders Women), Francesca McGhie (Leicester Tigers); Helen Nelson (Loughborough Lightning, capt), Leia Brebner-Holden (Loughborough Lightning); Leah Bartlett (Leicester Tigers), Lana Skeldon (Bristol Bears), Elliann Clarke (Bristol Bears); Jade Konkel (Harlequins), Sarah Bonar (Harlequins); Rachel Malcolm (unattached) Rachel McLachlan (Montpellier), Evie Gallagher (Bristol Bears).
Replacements: Elis Martin (Loughborough Lightning), Anne Young (Loughborough Lightning), Molly Poolman (Edinburgh Rugby/Watsonian FC) Becky Boyd (Loughborough Lightning), Gemma Bell (Gloucester Hartpury/Hartpury University), Rhea Clarke (Edinburgh Rugby/University of Edinburgh), Evie Wills (Leicester Tigers), Lucia Scott (Gloucester-Hartpury/Hartpury University)
IRELAND: Aoife Corey (UL Bohemian/Munster); Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Enya Breen (Blackrock College/Munster), Amee-Leigh Costigan (Railway Union/Munster); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Leinster); Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere/Leinster); Ruth Campbell (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere/Ulster); Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs/Munster), Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht, capt), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere/Ulster).
Replacements: Cliodhna Moloney (Exeter Chiefs), Sadhbh McGrath (Cooke/Ulster), Christy Haney (Blackrock College/Leinster), Jane Clohessy (UL Bohemian/Munster), Claire Boles (Railway Union/Ulster), Emily Lane (Blackrock College), Eve Higgins (Railway Union), Stacey Flood (Railway Union).
Referee: Natarsha Ganley (NZ).
Forecast: Ireland to win.
