Edinburgh Rugby women’s team beaten in Cork

Edinburgh Rugby women’s team suffered their first defeat of the 2024/25 Celtic Challenge season, going down 40-19 against Clovers at Virgin Media Park.

The experienced Irish outfit showcased their quality from the get-go and led 21-5 at the break after a strong opening 40 minutes. Vice-captain and winger Hannah Walker continued her fine form with Edinburgh’s only score of the first-half.

Edinburgh continued to fight in the second period, and were able to grab further scores from Lauryn Walter and Cieron Bell however Clovers were too strong and ultimately ran out 40-19 winners.

It’s Edinburgh’s first defeat after three round rounds of action having picked up back-to-back bonus point wins over Glasgow Warriors and Brython Thunder.

Head Coach Claire Cruikshank said: “We always knew it was going to a battle coming to Cork and hats off to Clovers, they are a really strong outfit with a lot of experience, and they certainly took their chances this afternoon.

“I’m really proud of how we stayed in the fight and although the full-time scoreline might not suggest it, I saw plenty of growth and maturity in the way we battled, and we can really take the positives out of some our attacking play.

“This year’s Celtic Challenge is so competitive, and teams are continuing to improve week on week. We feel like we’re in a good place as a squad and we’re excited to return home for Round 4 as we take on Gwalia Lightning at Hive Stadum at the end of the month.”