Centre Nicole Flynn says that Glasgow Warriors women cannot wait for this coming Saturday’s match with rivals Edinburgh Rugby after her player of the match showing helped them win in Wales.
Glasgow got their first ever win on their travels in what is the third year of the Celtic Challenge competition in its current guise by securing a 36-17 bonus point victory over Brython Thunder in Llanelli last weekend.
It was the perfect start to their 2025/26 campaign and Flynn said: “We are really happy to have got this win and I thought we played well.
“We can use this as a confidence-booster and we now want to go to Hive Stadium on December 27 and give Edinburgh a run for their money.”
Last Saturday, winger Sky Phimister scored two tries in the first half at Parc y Scarlets and scrum-half Rianna Darroch converted one of them for the Warriors and it was 12-12 at the interval.
Two tries from winger Hannah Smyth, one from full-back Poppy Mellanby and one from sub Ailsa Merryweather came after the interval with conversions from Darroch and co-captain Ceitidh Ainsworth to spark Glasgow celebrations.
“We are absolutely chuffed with that start,” Glasgow Warriors head coach Lindsey Smith said.
“You never quite know how the first game is going to go when you bring players together from different environments, but preparations went well and I thought that we managed the game well in the main. There are always things you can do better and we maybe overplayed a bit in the middle third of the pitch at times, but we were calm and we were pretty clinical when our chances came along.
“This is still a young group in the general, but I thought they showed real maturity and times and, with the ball players and pace we have out wide, the forwards know that if they can get them good ball then we are likely to create opportunities.
“It is only one win and we are not getting carried away, but the girls deserve to enjoy this and we can now take confidence into the next game.”
Edinburgh will go into the upcoming derby off the back of a 34-7 reverse in Dublin to two-time champions Wolfhounds.
Back-row Cat Moody scored the Edinburgh try in Ireland with centre Lucy MacRae converting at Energia Park.
Edinburgh head coach Claire Cruikshank said: “It was always going to be tough coming across here to Ireland, we knew that, but I think the way we stuck in defensively in some pretty horrible conditions was brilliant. I’m super proud of the effort the girls put in.
“We got ourselves right back into things at 17-7 at half-time, but then the weather turned in the second half and the wind and rain picked up and we just couldn’t get out of our half because of the conditions.
“You can train all you want, but it’s really hard to know where you are until you get on the pitch against a proper opposition and although we lost I’m super proud of lots of things we did in the game. It gives us somewhere to start from and build from.”
In the other round one game, Clovers beat Gwalia Lightning 35-31 in Dublin.
- Former Scotland head coach Bryan Easson has a new job.
He has been appointed head coach of Netherlands men and head of Rugby Netherlands’ coaching performance pathway.
- The English top flight PWR is now taking a break until the end of January. A number of Scots play and coach in the league and Saracens are currently leading the way.
In France, the top flight Elite 1 league, where a small batch of Scots play, is also now on a break until the end of January.
- Abi Evans’ score for Hillhead Jordanhill in the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership has been named Scottish Rugby’s Women’s Try of the Month for November.
Nicole Flynn is pictured last weekend – thanks to the Welsh Rugby Union