Glasgow Warriors Women

For the Glasgow Warriors men's team, see Glasgow Warriors.

Glasgow Warriors Women

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
Team kit
Official website
glasgowwarriors.org
Current season

Glasgow Warriors Women are a select provincial rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the Celtic Challenge league.

History

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

Season	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	BP	Pts	Notes
2023-24	6th	7	0	0	7	87	222	-135	1	1
2024-25	6th	10	1	1	8	182	362	-180	4	10

Current standings

Main article: 2025–26 Celtic Challenge

2025–26 Celtic Challenge
Countries	Ireland Wales Scotland
Number of teams	6
Official website
celticrugbycomp.com
←  2024–25 2026–27  →

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 v t e	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

First match(es) will be played: 20 December 2025. Source: Celtic Challenge ^[7]
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. ^[8] The first round of fixtures will take place on 20 December 2025. ^[5] All times shown are local times.

Round 1

20 December 2025 11:30

Clovers	v	Gwalia Lightning

Donnybrook Stadium, Dublin

20 December 2025 12:30

Brython Thunder	v	Glasgow Warriors

Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli

20 December 2025 14:30

Wolfhounds	v	Edinburgh Rugby

Donnybrook Stadium, Dublin

Round 2

27 December 2025 12:00

Edinburgh Rugby	v	Glasgow Warriors

Edinburgh Rugby Stadium, Edinburgh

27 December 2025 14:00

Gwalia Lightning	v	Brython Thunder

CSE, Ystrad Mynach

3 January 2026 15:00

Clovers	v	Wolfhounds

Creggs RFC, Creggs

Round 3

10 January 2025 12:30

Glasgow Warriors	v	Gwalia Lightning

Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow

10 January 2026 15:00

Edinburgh Rugby	v	Wolfhounds

Edinburgh Rugby Stadium, Edinburgh

11 January 2026 12:00

Brython Thunder	v	Clovers

Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff

Round 4

17 January 2026 13:00

Gwalia Lightning	v	Edinburgh Rugby

CSE, Ystrad Mynach

18 January 2026 12:00

Wolfhounds	v	Brython Thunder

Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast

18 January 2026 15:00

Clovers	v	Glasgow Warriors

Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast

Round 5

24 January 2026 13:00

Edinburgh Rugby	v	Gwalia Lightning

Edinburgh Rugby Stadium, Edinburgh

25 January 2026 12:00

Clovers	v	Brython Thunder

Musgrave Park, Cork

25 January 2026 15:00

Wolfhounds	v	Glasgow Warriors

Musgrave Park, Cork

Round 6

31 January 2026 14:00

Glasgow Warriors	v	Clovers

Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow

31 January 2026 15:00

Edinburgh Rugby	v	Brython Thunder

Edinburgh Rugby Stadium, Edinburgh

1 February 2026 12:30

Wolfhounds	v	Gwalia Lightning

Musgrave Park, Cork

Round 7

14 February 2026 12:30

Brython Thunder	v	Edinburgh

Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli

14 February 2026 13:00

Gwalia Lightning	v	Clovers

CSE, Ystrad Mynach

15 February 2026 14:00

Glasgow Warriors	v	Wolfhounds

Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow

Round 8

21 February 2026 12:£0

Brython Thunder	v	Wolfhounds

Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli

21 February 2026 12:30

Clovers	v	Edinburgh Rugby

The Sportsground, Galway

21 February 2026 13:00

Gwalia Lightning	v	Glasgow Warriors

CSE, Ystrad Mynach

Round 9

28 February 2026 13:00

Glasgow Warriors	v	Brython Thunder

Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow

28 February 2026 13:00

Gwalia Lightning	v	Wolfhounds

CSE, Ystrad Mynach

28 February 2026 13:00

Edinburgh Rugby	v	Clovers

Edinburgh Rugby Stadium, Edinburgh

Round 10

7 March 2026 19:30

Glasgow Warriors	v	Edinburgh Rugby

Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow

8 March 2026 14:00

Brython Thunder	v	Gwalia Lightning

Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli

8 March 2026 15:00

Wolfhounds	v	Clovers

UCD Bowl, Dublin

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

References

1. "Glasgow Warriors vs Leicester Tigers". glasgowwarriors.org. Archived from the original on 30 September 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
2. "Glasgow Warriors to compete in Celtic Challenge". Glasgow Warriors. 5 December 2023. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
3. "Edinburgh & Glasgow launch women's teams". BBC Sport. 5 December 2023. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
4. https://celticrugbycomp.com/2024/11/15/smith-named-head-coach-for-glasgow-warriors/
5. "New Look Celtic Challenge Finals Reflect Rising Women's Rugby World Cup Influence - Celtic Challenge". 13 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
6. "2025-26 Celtic Challenge to feature knockout rugby as competition revamped". BBC Sport. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
7. "Table". Celtic Challenge. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
8. "Celtic Challenge Unveils Fixtures for the 2025/26 Season". Celtic Challenge. 22 October 2025. Retrieved 18 November 2025.

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.

Player Position Union Karis Craig [a] Hooker Scotland Nikki Simpson [a] Hooker Scotland Chloe Brown Prop Scotland Eilidh Fleming [a] Prop Scotland Kaylee Fraser Prop Scotland Debbie Lee Prop Scotland Hannah McMahon Prop Scotland Ailie Tucker Prop Scotland Holland Bogan [a] Second row Scotland Eve Thomson [a] Second row Scotland Ellie Williamson [a] Second row Scotland Sophie Anderson Back row Scotland Megan Hyland [a] Back row Scotland Alex Love Back row Scotland Alison Orr Back row Scotland Kirsty Ritchie [a] Back row Scotland Emma Turner (cc) Back row Scotland Lucy Winter Back row Scotland

Player Position Union Rhea Clarke [a] (cc) Scrum-half Scotland Rebekah Douglas [a] Scrum-half Scotland Ceitidh Ainsworth [a] Fly-half Scotland Carla McDonald [a] Fly-half Scotland Pearl Kellie Centre Scotland Lucy MacRae [a] Centre Scotland Claudia McLaren Centre Scotland Charlotte Burrows [a] Wing Scotland Roma Fraser [a] Wing Scotland Pheadra Snailham Wing Scotland Beth Tobin Wing Scotland Sky Phimister [a] Fullback Scotland

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

End of season awards

The Player's Player of the Season award is in memory of Siobhan Cattigan.

2023 - 24 season

Award	Winner
Coaches Player of the Season	Holland Bogan
Player's Player of the Season	Ailie Tucker

2024 - 25 season

Award	Winner
Coaches Player of the Season	Ceitidh Ainsworth
Player's Player of the Season	Freya Walker

Notes

1. Scottish Rugby Regional Training Centre supported player

References

1. https://celticrugbycomp.com/teams/glasgow-warriors/
2. "Glasgow Warriors confirm core squad for Celtic Challenge". Glasgow Warriors. 19 December 2023. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
3. "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.
4. "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.
5. "Team named for Celtic Challenge debut". 29 December 2023. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.