Edinburgh Rugby Women
| Full name | Edinburgh Rugby Women | |
|---|---|---|
| Union | Scottish Rugby Union | |
| Founded | 2023 | |
| Location | Edinburgh, Scotland | |
| Ground | Hive Stadium (Capacity: 7,800) | |
| Coach | Claire Cruikshank | |
| League | Celtic Challenge | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| edinburghrugby | ||
| Current season | ||
Edinburgh Rugby Women are a select provincial rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the Celtic Challenge league.
History
Edinburgh Rugby Women was formed in December 2023 by Edinburgh Rugby and the Scottish Rugby Union to play in the Celtic Challenge,[1] a cross-border women's rugby union competition that will be held annually. The competition was launched in 2023 and is designed to develop players for the Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.[1]
Stadium
Edinburgh Rugby women's side play their home matches at Hive Stadium.
Current standings
| 2025–26 Celtic Challenge | |
|---|---|
| Countries | Ireland Wales Scotland |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Official website | |
| celticrugbycomp | |
The 2025–26 Celtic Challenge will be the fourth season of the Celtic Challenge, a cross-border women's rugby union competition with teams from Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. The six team tournament features a full double round robin fixture series, with each team playing the others both home and away. For the first time, however, the competition will include a single elimination play-off with semi-finals and a grand final.[2][3]
Wolfhounds enter the competition as two–time defending champions.
Teams and locations
There have been no team changes from the 2024–25 season.
| Team | Country | Coach / Director of Rugby |
|---|---|---|
| Brython Thunder | Wales | |
| Clovers | Ireland | |
| Edinburgh Rugby | Scotland | |
| Glasgow Warriors | Scotland | |
| Gwalia Lightning | Wales | |
| Wolfhounds | Ireland |
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolfhounds | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 7 | +27 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Play-offs |
| 2 | Glasgow Warriors | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 17 | +19 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 3 | Clovers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 31 | +4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 4 | Gwalia Lightning | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 35 | −4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 5 | Brython Thunder | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 36 | −19 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Edinburgh Rugby | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 34 | −27 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Four points for a win, two points for a draw. One bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match; one bonus point for losing by a margin of seven or less.
Regular season
The fixtures were announced in October 2025.[5] The first round of fixtures will take place on 20 December 2025.[2] All times shown are local times.
Round 1
| 20 December 2025 11:30 |
| (1 BP) Clovers | 35 – 31 | Gwalia Lightning (2 BP) |
| Try: Sadhbh McGrath (2) Niamh Murphy Jemima Adams Verling Aoibheann McGrath Con: Caitríona Finn (5) Cards: Caoimhe Murphy 79' | Report | Try: Evie Hill Courtney Greenway Maisie Davies (2) Tilly Vucaj Con: Carys Hughes (3) |
| Donnybrook Stadium, Dublin Referee: Dermot Blake |
| 20 December 2025 12:30 |
| Brython Thunder | 17 – 36 | Glasgow Warriors (1 BP) |
| Try: Ellie Tromans Hanna Marshall Jess Rogers Con: Marshall | Report | Try: Sky Phimister (2) Hannah Smyth (2) Poppy Mellanby Holland Bogan Con: Rianna Darroch (3) |
| Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli |
| 20 December 2025 14:30 |
| (1 BP) Wolfhounds | 34 – 7 | Edinburgh Rugby |
| Try: Sophie Barrett (2) India Daley Maggie Boylan Eve Higgins Linda Djougang Con: Dannah O’Brien (2) | Report | Try: Cat Moody Con: Lucy MacRae Cards: Scarlett Haddow 59' |
| Donnybrook Stadium, Dublin Referee: Padraic Reidy |
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Play-offs
For the first time, the Celtic Challenge will have play-offs to crown a champion, with the top four teams in the regular season advancing to semi-finals, followed by a grand final.
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 20/21/22 March 2026 – TBC | ||||||
| First in standings | ||||||
| 27/28/29 March 2026 – TBC | ||||||
| Fourth in standings | ||||||
| Winner SF1 | ||||||
| 20/21/22 March 2026 – TBC | ||||||
| Winner SF2 | ||||||
| Second in standings | ||||||
| Third in standings | ||||||
Semi-finals
| 20/21/22 March 2026 |
| 1st in regular season | v | 4th in regular season |
| 20/21/22 March 2026 |
| 2nd in regular season | v | 3rd in regular season |
Final
| 27/28/29 March 2026 |
| Winner of semi-final 1 | v | Winner of semi-final 2 |
Notes
References
- ^ a b "Edinburgh & Glasgow launch women's teams". BBC Sport. 5 December 2023. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ a b "New Look Celtic Challenge Finals Reflect Rising Women's Rugby World Cup Influence - Celtic Challenge". 13 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ "2025-26 Celtic Challenge to feature knockout rugby as competition revamped". BBC Sport. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ "Table". Celtic Challenge. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
- ^ "Celtic Challenge Unveils Fixtures for the 2025/26 Season". Celtic Challenge. 22 October 2025. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
Coaches
The coaching team was announced in December 2024.[1]
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Claire Cruikshank | Head coach |
Current squad
| 2024/25 Squad |
|---|
| Forwards
Adelle Ferrie (Corstorphine Cougars) Aila Ronald (University of Edinburgh) Alex Stewart (Corstorphine Cougars) Alison Wilson (Heriots) Caroline Bullock (University of Edinburgh) Charlotte Russell (Watsonians) Chloe Brown (Stirling County) Faye Sutherland (Corstorphine Cougars) Georgia Young (Watsonians) Hannah McMahon (University of Edinburgh) Karis Craig (Watsonians) Megan Riach (Garioch) Merryn Gunderson (Corstorphine Cougars) Millie Capaldi (Heriots) Molly Poolman (Watsonians) Natasha Logan (University of Edinburgh) Samaanther Taganekurukuru (Stirling County) Talei Tawake (Watsonians) Backs Ami Conchie (Watsonians) April McKenzie (Watsonians) Dawn Lawrie (Watsonians) Emily Love (Corstorphine Cougars) Giselle Chicot (Watsonians) Hannah Ramsay (University of Edinburgh) Hannah Walker (University of Edinburgh) Holly Mclntyre (University of Edinburgh) Lisa Brown (University of Edinburgh) Lucy MacRae (University of Edinburgh) Pip Benson (Corstorphine Cougars) Rhea Clarke (University of Edinburgh) |
| 2023/24 Squad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The squad for the 2023–24 season was announced on 18 December 2023.[2] On 29 December 2023 Sarah Denholm was named as captain as part of the first game squad announcement.[3]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
Transitional playersOn 27 December 2023, Scottish Rugby announced 11 transitional players that could play for either Scottish Celtic challenge team.[4] Transitional players were selected through a Scottish qualified programme, a programme to develop and support Scottish qualified players living outside of Scotland, as well as players who have previously been involved with Scotland but currently live outside of Scotland.[4]
International playersInternational players released to play for Edinburgh Rugby in the Celtic Challenge league.[5]
|
Notes
References
- ^ "CLAIRE CRUIKSHANK TO LEAD EDINBURGH RUGBY WOMEN'S TEAM". Edinburgh Rugby. 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Edinburgh Rugby women's squad announced". Edinburgh Rugby. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ "Turner and Clarke named co-captains for Celtic Challenge". Glasgow Warriors. 28 December 2023. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Scottish Rugby names Transitional Players available for Celtic Challenge selection". Scottish Rugby. 27 December 2023. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Mattinson set for Edinburgh Debut". Edinburgh Rugby. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.