Glasgow Warriors Women
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Full name | Glasgow Warriors Women | |
|---|---|---|
| Union | Scottish Rugby Union | |
| Founded | 2023 | |
| Location | Glasgow, Scotland | |
| Ground | Scotstoun Stadium (Capacity: 7,351[1] using additional temporary seating) | |
| Coach | Lindsey Smith | |
| League | Celtic Challenge | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| glasgowwarriors | ||
 Current season | ||
Glasgow Warriors Women are a select provincial rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the Celtic Challenge league.
Glasgow Warriors Women was formed in December 2023 by Glasgow Warriors and the Scottish Rugby Union to play in the Celtic Challenge,[2][3] 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.[3]
The 2023–24 season saw Glasgow trail in the Celtic Challenge league picking up only 1 league point from their 7 matches. The point came in the last play-off rounds.
For the 2024–25 season, Lindsey Smith was promoted from Assistant Coach to Head Coach with Chris Laidlaw stepping down.[4] A better season than last, the team picked up one win and one draw. They nonetheless finished bottom of the table once more.
Stadium
Glasgow Warriors women's side play their home matches at Scotstoun Stadium.
Records and achievements
Season standings
| Celtic Challenge |
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.[5][6]
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 | Brython Thunder |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Play-offs |
| 2 | Clovers |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Edinburgh Rugby |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Glasgow Warriors |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Gwalia Lightning |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Wolfhounds |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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
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
Coaches
Lindsey Smith was named as the new Head Coach in November 2024.[1]
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Lindsey Smith |
Head coach |
| Megan Kennedy |
Assistant coach |
| Stuart Lewis |
Assistant coach |
|
Forwards Coach |
| Fraser Brown |
Defence Coach |
Current squad
The squad for the 2023–24 Season was announced on 19 December 2023.[2]
On 28 December 2023, Emma Turner and Rhea Clarke were named as co-captains.[3] Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
Transitional players
On 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]
| Name | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Izzy Hannay | Flanker |  Harlequins |
| Gemma Bell | Flanker | Gloucester-Hartpury |
| Evie Addy | Prop | Gloucester-Hartpury |
| Nicole Marlow | Fly Half | Cardiff Metropolitan University |
| Leia Brebner-Holden | Scrum Half | Gloucester-Hartpury |
| Izzy McGuire-Evans | Centre | Sale Sharks |
| Orla Proctor | Full Back | Leicester Tigers |
| Nicola Haynes | Hooker | Saracens |
| Demi Swann | Prop | Exeter Chiefs |
| Fiona McIntosh | Lock | Saracens |
| Panashe Muzambe | Prop | Exeter Chiefs |
International players
International players released to play for Glasgow Warriors in the Celtic Challenge league.[5]
| Name | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Louise McMillan | Lock | Saracens |
| Mairi McDonald | Scrum Half | Exeter Chiefs |
| Beth Blacklock | Centre | Saracens |
| Coreen Grant | Wing | Saracens |
Squad additions
Other players added to the original squad.
| Name | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Priya Crawford | Scrum Half | Strathclyde University |
| Gisele Chicot | Centre | Heriots Blues |
| Kiyomi Honjigawa | Full Back | Corstorphine Cougars |
Notable former coaches & management
Former Head coaches
| Coach | Period(s) |
|---|---|
| Chris Laidlaw |
2023 – 11/2024 |