A Friday night double header in Cumbernauld launches the respective Six Nations campaigns of the Ireland Women and Under-20s, while Joe Schmidt’s men will kick off the RBS 6 Nations in Saturday’s sold-out clash at BT Murrayfield.
WOMEN’S SIX NATIONS: Friday, February 3
SCOTLAND WOMEN v IRELAND WOMEN, Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld, 6.35pm (live RTÉ Two/www.rte.ie/live (island of Ireland only)/Six Nations Facebook Live Stream)
– The Scotland Women’s most recent victory came in a friendly against the Netherlands in Amsterdam in November 2011
– The Ireland Women lost all three Tests in the autumn internationals, to England, Canada and New Zealand, while all five of their games in the Six Nations last year went in favour of the home team
– These two nations have met on 25 previous occasions with Scotland winning the first 14 matches between 1993 and 2006 and Ireland winning the last eleven from 2007 up to last year
– The Ireland Women’s only previous match at Broadwood Stadium resulted in a 73-3 victory in round 5 in 2015 which clinched their second Six Nations title in three years
RECENT SIX NATIONS MEETINGS:
Saturday, February 26, 2011 – Scotland Women 5 Ireland Women 22, Howthornden
Friday, March 9, 2012 – Ireland Women 20 Scotland Women 0, Ashbourne RFC
Saturday, February 23, 2013 – Scotland Women 3 Ireland Women 30, Howthornden
Friday, January 31, 2014 – Ireland Women 59 Scotland Women 0, Ashbourne RFC
Sunday, March 22, 2015 – Scotland Women 3 Ireland Women 73, Broadwood Stadium
Sunday, March 20, 2016 – Ireland Women 45 Scotland Women 12, Donnybrook
Match Ticket Info: Click here to buy tickets for the Scotland v Ireland Women’s & Under-20s double header. Adult tickets are priced at £10 (valid for both matches). Senior citizens, under-18s and Scotland Season Pass holders go free.
SCOTLAND WOMEN: Chloe Rollie (Murrayfield Wanderers); Megan Gaffney (Edinburgh University), Lisa Thomson (Edinburgh University), Lisa Martin (Murrayfield Wanderers) (capt), Rhona Lloyd (Edinburgh University); Helen Nelson (Murrayfield Wanderers), Sarah Law (Murrayfield Wanderers/Edinburgh University); Tracy Balmer (Worcester), Rachel Malcolm (Lichfield), Lindsey Smith (Hillhead Jordanhill), Emma Wassell (Murrayfield Wanderers), Deborah McCormack (Aylesford Bulls), Karen Dunbar (RHC Cougars), Louise McMillan (Hillhead Jordanhill), Jade Konkel (Hillhead Jordanhill).
Replacements: Lucy Park (Murrayfield Wanderers), Heather Lockhart (Hillhead Jordanhill), Katie Dougan (Edinburgh University), Sarah Bonar (Lichfield), Jemma Forsyth (Hillhead Jordanhill), Jenny Maxwell (Lichfield), Lauren Harris (Melrose), Eilidh Sinclair (Murrayfield Wanderers).
IRELAND WOMEN: Mairead Coyne (Galwegians/Connacht); Niamh Kavanagh (UL Bohemians/Munster), Jenny Murphy (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Sene Naoupu (Aylesford Bulls), Alison Miller (Old Belvedere/Connacht); Nora Stapleton (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Ailsa Hughes (Railway Union/Leinster); Lindsay Peat (Railway Union/Leinster), Leah Lyons (Highfield/Munster), Ailis Egan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Orla Fitzsimons (St. Mary’s/Leinster), Marie Louise Reilly (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemians/Munster), Claire Molloy (Bristol/Connacht), Paula Fitzpatrick (St. Mary’s/Leinster) (capt).
Replacements: Jennie Finlay (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Ilse van Staden (Cooke/Ulster), Ciara O’Connor (Galwegians/Connacht), Elaine Anthony (Highfield/Munster), Nichola Fryday (Tullamore/Connacht), Mary Healy (Galwegians/Connacht), Claire McLaughlin (Cooke/Ulster), Eimear Considine (UL Bohemians/Munster).
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Beatrice Benvenuti (Italy) Graham Cooper (Australia)
Television Match Official: Jon Mason (Wales)
UNDER-20 SIX NATIONS: Friday, February 3
SCOTLAND UNDER-20s v IRELAND UNDER-20s, Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld, 8.30pm (live RTÉ Two/www.rte.ie/live (island of Ireland only))
– Scotland finished in eighth place at the World Rugby Under-20 Championship last June with their only two victories coming against Australia and Italy
– In the 2016 Under-20 Six Nations, Scotland’s two victories were gained against England in round 1 and Italy in round 3
– Scotland’s 36-21 reversal to France in round 4 last season ended a four-match home winning run in the Championship
– The Ireland Under-20s achieved their best ever result in the World Rugby U-20 Championship last summer when they reached the final, only to lose to hosts England. Their defeat in that game ended a seven-match winning run at this level
– Ireland won in the last three rounds of the 2016 Under-20 Six Nations but have not won four in a row in the tournament since 2012
– Ireland have won their last three matches against the Scotland Under-20s in all tournaments since their 17-10 round 5 defeat in the U-20 Six Nations at Galashiels in 2015
– Scotland’s only loss in their last four home games against Ireland at this level was at Inverness in 2011
RECENT SIX NATIONS MEETINGS:
Friday, February 25, 2011 – Scotland U-20s 0 Ireland U-20s 15, Tulloch Stadium
Friday, March 9, 2012 – Ireland U-20s 26 Scotland U-20s 0, Dubarry Park
Friday, February 22, 2013 – Scotland U-20s 21 Ireland U-20s 20, Netherdale
Friday, January 31, 2014 – Ireland U-20s 34 Scotland U-20s 7, Dubarry Park
Friday, March 20, 2015 – Scotland U-20s 17 Ireland U-20s 10, Netherdale
Friday, March 18, 2016 – Ireland U-20s 26 Scotland U-20s 18, Donnybrook
Match Ticket Info: Click here to buy tickets for the Scotland v Ireland Women’s & Under-20s double header. Adult tickets are priced at £10 (valid for both matches). Senior citizens, under-18s and Scotland Season Pass holders go free.
SCOTLAND U-20: Darcy Graham (Hawick); Robbie Nairn (Harlequins), Craig Pringle (Stirling County), Cameron Hutchison (Currie), Ross McCann (Melrose); Josh Henderson (Glasgow Hawks), Andrew Simmers (Heriot’s); George Thornton (Bishop Burton College), Fraser Renwick (Hawick), Adam Nicol (Stirling County), Alex Craig (Gloucester), Callum Hunter-Hill (Stirling County) (capt), Luke Crosbie (Currie), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Hawks), Tom Dodd (Worcester Warriors).
Replacements: Robbie Smith (Ayr), Daniel Winning (Boroughmuir), Fergus Bradbury (Stirling County), Hamish Bain (Currie), Jamie Ure (Boroughmuir), Bruce Flockhart (Glasgow Hawks), Charlie Shiel (Currie), Stafford McDowall (Ayr).
IRELAND U-20: Jack Kelly (Dublin University/Leinster) (capt); Jordan Larmour (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Gavin Mullin (UCD/Leinster), Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster), Colm Hogan (Dublin University/Munster); Johnny McPhillips (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Jonny Stewart (Queen’s University/Ulster); Joey Conway (UL Bohemians/Munster), Tadgh McElroy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Peter Cooper (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Fineen Wycherley (Young Munster/Munster), Oisin Dowling (Lansdowne/Leinster), Cillian Gallagher (Corinthians/Connacht), Paul Boyle (Lansdowne/Leinster), Caelan Doris (St. Mary’s College/Leinster).
Replacements: Adam Moloney (Shannon/Munster), Rory Mulvihill (UCD/Leinster), Charlie Connolly (Dublin University/Leinster), Jack Regan (UCD/Leinster), Marcus Rea (Queen’s University/Ulster), Jack Lyons (Young Munster/Munster), Conor Fitzgerald (Shannon/Munster), Tommy O’Brien (UCD/Leinster).
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
Assistant Referees: Jack Makepeace, Peter Allan (both England)
Television Match Official: David Sainsbury (England)
RBS 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, February 4
SCOTLAND v IRELAND, BT Murrayfield, 2.25pm (live RTÉ Two/BBC One/RTÉ Radio 1/IRFU Live Blog)
STATS & FACTS
– Scotland have lost only once since the end of last season’s RBS 6 Nations Championship, and that by a single point to Australia at BT Murrayfield in November
– The Scots won their most recent match at BT Murrayfield in the RBS 6 Nations, against France in round 4 last season, and have not won successive matches at the venue in the Championship since 2013
– Scotland have begun with a victory in the opening round only once since the Championship expanded to six nations (beating France in Edinburgh in 2006)
– Ireland have lost just one of their last four Test matches: 21-9 to New Zealand in Dublin on November 19
– Joe Schmidt’s men have not won away from home in the RBS 6 Nations since they last visited Edinburgh in round 5 in 2015 when they were crowned champions on a dramatic final day
– Ireland have lost their opening encounter in the Championship just once since 2004: 23-21 at home to Wales in 2012
– Ireland have won their last four Test matches against Scotland (including a 2015 World Cup warm-up fixture (28-22 in Dublin), with the Scots’ most recent victory being 12-8 at BT Murrayfield in 2013
RECENT SIX NATIONS MEETINGS:
Sunday, February 27, 2011 – Scotland 18 Ireland 21, Murrayfield
Saturday, March 10, 2012 – Ireland 32 Scotland 14, Aviva Stadium
Sunday, February 24, 2013 – Scotland 12 Ireland 8, Murrayfield
Sunday, February 2, 2014 – Ireland 28 Scotland 6, Aviva Stadium
Saturday, March 21, 2015 – Scotland 10 Ireland 40, BT Murrayfield
Saturday, March 19, 2016 – Ireland 35 Scotland 25, Aviva Stadium
SCOTLAND: Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors); Sean Maitland (Saracens), Huw Jones (Stormers), Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors); Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors), Greig Laidlaw (Gloucester) (capt); Allan Dell (Edinburgh), Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Toulouse), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh), Josh Strauss (Glasgow Warriors).
Replacements: Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors), Simon Berghan (Edinburgh), Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors), John Barclay (Scarlets), Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Weir (Edinburgh), Mark Bennett (Glasgow Warriors).
IRELAND: Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster); Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster), Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster); Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), CJ Stander (Munster), Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster).
Replacements: Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Ultan Dillane (Corinthians/Connacht), Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster), Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht), Ian Keatley (Young Munster/Munster), Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster).
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Nick Briant (New Zealand)
Television Match Official: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
– Compiled by SFMS Limited (Stuart Farmer Media Services)
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