Women's Six Nations: Rachel Malcolm hails Scotland's 'crucial' game management in Wales win, Ireland beaten by France

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The Women's Six Nations began with a bang this weekend, as Scotland and France emerged victorious. The Scots edged out Wales following a pulsating contest in Edinburgh, while Ireland fought bravely against France in Belfast, but were ultimately on the receiving end of a 27-15 scoreline. The action continues on Sunday when England host Italy at the LNER Community Stadium in York.

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Scotland came out on top with a 24-21 win over Wales at the Hive Stadium to begin their Women’s Six Nations campaign on a winning note.

Carys Phillips struck first before Scotland hit back when Sarah Bonar and Emma Orr both crossed over, before Abbie Fleming responded for the visitors.

It looked like a remarkable comeback was on when Gwenllian Pyrs scored late on, but it was the hosts who edged to a narrow victory.

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An enthralling contest also had the added spice of having a player from both sides sent to the sin bin. Georgia Evans received two yellow cards, while Evie Gallagher received an upgraded red card.

Reflecting on the match as a whole, Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm told the BBC: "We knew they would bring a huge amount of energy, which they did.

"We said at half-time we needed to up it and our game management at the end there was crucial.

"Our breakdown today was not what it needs to be. Wales are probably one of the best sides [in that area], but we need to be a bit quicker. The breakdown is the biggest thing because we showed today how dangerous we can be when we get it right."

Bryan Easson’s side will now focus on a match against France next Saturday, while Wales have another all-British clash to look forward to against England the same day.

‘There were massive positives’ – McMahon upbeat despite France defeat

Edel McMahon was keen to highlight the huge strides which Ireland have taken, despite a 27-15 defeat to France in Belfast.

The hosts were given a boost when Gabrielle Vernier's yellow card was upgraded to red following a review by the Television Match Official (TMO), having already scored the game's opening try.

Marine Menager and Emilie Boulard also crossed over, while Morgane Bourgeois added a further five points to secure victory for the visitors.

There were still reasons to be confident for the hosts though, with Aoife Wafer scoring two tries and Neve Jones also crossing over, as Ireland fought well against one of the world’s best sides.

McMahon added to the BBC: "There is frustration around the group because we did let that game slip away from us at times and had switch-off moments, but I'm incredibly proud of where the girls have come from.

"We're competing with top-tier nations, we're testing them, we're hard to beat and firing shots, so we're on that trajectory of where we want to go towards, but just switching off at times has let that game get away from us.

"Mistakes happen, sometimes the ball doesn't go our way, and it's about how we react. We have to reflect and be honest, but we've got a job to do next week.

"We can go into the next game feeling confident about what works well, fix and tweak the areas that let us down, but there were massive positives."

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