Centre Lucy MacRae believes the Scotland under-20 squad have an 80-minute performance in them and they will be giving it everything against Ireland on Thursday to end their Six Nations Women’s Summer Series campaign on a high.
In their opening game in Wales, Scotland scored three good tries and caused England problems at times while, next up against the hosts, they played pretty well for an hour, but were undone by a sloppy first quarter.
It all means that they go into their third and final match of the tournament still look for an elusive win at Ystrad Mynach’s Centre for Sporting Excellence.
Ireland have won one and lost one so far and ahead of the clash 20-year-old Edinburgh University player MacRae, who is in line for a third start from three at 12, said: “Both of the games so far have come with their different challenges to be honest.
“Within that England game there were some really strong moments and we felt some of the tries we scored and some of the phases we linked together were super positive.
“And then, into that second game versus Wales, most of their tries came from our mistakes.
“So, going into the Irish game we’re just wanting to tidy that up and link all those positive plays that we produced in the England and those positive parts from the last hour of the Welsh game and bring them together.
“We were really frustrated by the start versus Wales, but I was really proud of the way the team pulled through, reset and actually sorted ourselves out and scored some good tries in the final hour.
“The vibe in camp is good and we want to finish this campaign really strongly, 100 percent.
“We’re expecting that there’s going to be mistakes from both sides, that’s just the nature of sport, but we’re looking to be a bit more clinical so that we can link up all those positive moments from the first two games and be more consistent with it.
“We’re excited to get stuck in.”
She is still only 20, but Edinburgh University mechanical engineering student MacRae is one of the more experienced players in this group despite not being overage.
She has played for the Scottish Futures and under-20s before while the Helensburgh product has turned out for Hillhead Jordanhill and Stirling County and, 2024/25, played BUCS Super Rugby with the university team.
MacRae has also been involved with Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby in the Celtic Challenge and enjoys the responsibility of goal kicking.
“It has certainly been a busy few years and I am always juggling rugby things and other things, but I wouldn’t have it any other way really,” MacRae concluded.
In terms of the starting XV to play Ireland at 1pm on Thursday, hooker Megan Hyland, second-row Gemma Thomson, back-row Lily Crisp, scrum-half Emily Love and winger Freya MacColl, who scored twice versus Wales, come in.
Loosehead prop Poppy Fletcher is skipper with Karis Craig, Louise Tapperell, Sophie Price and Rebekah Douglas added to bench.
With Craig, Price and Tapperell added to the bench it looks like Scarlett Haddow will be the only player not to see action for Scotland in the Summer Series, but at only 18 she has a bright future ahead of her.
Scotland supporters will be able to follow every moment of the action from the Summer Series as all matches will be streamed live on the Six Nations under-20 YouTube channel and the Scottish Rugby website.
Scotland under-20 squad for the Ireland game
Poppy Mellanby; Emily Norval (V-C), Nicole Flynn, Lucy MacRae, Freya MacColl; Ceitidh Ainsworth, Rianna Darroch; Poppy Fletcher (V-C), Megan Hyland, Eilidh Fleming, Aisha Zameer, Gemma Thomson, Merryn Gunderson, Lily Crisp, Emily Coubrough. Subs: Karis Craig, Louise Tapperell, Megan Riach, Holly Wilson, Sophie Price, Rebekah Douglas, Holly McIntyre, Lisa Brown.
Scotland’s under-20 squad for the Six Nations Women’s Summer Series
Forwards: Emily Coubrough, Karis Craig, Lily Crisp, Eilidh Fleming, Poppy Fletcher, Merryn Gunderson, Megan Hyland, Kaylee McHugh, Sophie Price, Megan Riach, Charlotte Russell, Aicha Sutcliffe, Faye Sutherland, Louise Taperell, Gemma Thomson, Isobel Twigger, Holly Wilson, Aisha Zameer.
Backs: Ceitidh Ainsworth, Lisa Brown, Rianna Darroch, Rebekah Douglas, Nicole Flynn, Scarlett Haddow, Emily Love, Freya MacColl, Lucy MacRae, Holly McIntyre, Poppy Mellanby, Emily Norval.
Tickets for Scotland-England at Murrayfield in April 2026 can be purchased here.
Lucy MacRae is pictured – thanks to Scottish Rugby
GH Media has covered Scotland women’s journey to this point and will be covering Scotland women’s journey right through to the end of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, bringing insight from within the camp throughout and featuring other parts of the game in this country too – thanks to those already supporting the content, if you or your company would like to get involved please email gary@gh-media.co.uk