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Celtic Challenge 2025/26 Round 4: Wolfhounds maintain top spot with 11 try display
By Joe Harvey
Across Round 4 of the 2025/26 Celtic Challenge season there were 33 tries scored in a riveting round of action.
Wolfhounds have maintained top spot in the league with a ruthless display against Brython Thunder in Belfast.
Stacey Flood was the star player for the side as the full-back scored a hat-trick against her Welsh opponents.
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Here is how things played out in Round 4 of the 2025/26 Celtic Challenge campaign…
Gwalia Lightning 31–17 Edinburgh Rugby
Gwalia Lightning registered an impressive win over Edinburgh Rugby in front of a healthy crowd at the Ystrad Mynach.
The Welsh outfit scored five tries to subject the Scots to their third loss in four matches.
A bright start for Lightning saw Molly Reardon held over the line early on and there was added frustration for the hosts when Edinburgh’s Cieron Bell opened the scoring shortly afterwards.
Gwalia soon responded when Courtney Greenway raced across the whitewash to level things up and the Great Britain Sevens flyer saw her effort followed up by her teammate Caitlin Lewis.
Aila Ronald’s close-range score kept the Scots in the contest.
To take a five point lead into half-time Alaw Pyrs went in under the posts and Carys Hughes added the conversion.
Early in the second half Reardon finally got her try for the hosts and Hughes’ conversion made the lead 12 points.
Although Hannah Ramsey’s solo score gave hope to the visitors, the result was put beyond doubt when replacement scrum-half Lily Hawkins scurried over the whitewash.
Wolfhounds 69–0 Brython Thunder
Neill Alcorn’s Wolfhounds were in a relentless mood as they scored 11 tries against Brython Thunder at Affidea Stadium in Belfast.
It took just seven minutes for the table-toppers to open the scoring as Niamh Marley provided a physical score to dot down after she received the ball from Stacey Flood.
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When Robyn O’Connor seemed certain to score, a high tackle from Lisa Neumann resulted in a penalty try and yellow card for the Wales back. With Neumann still off the pitch Vicky Elmes Kinlan went over unopposed from 30 metres out.
Ahead of the 30-minute mark O’Connor rounded three defenders to secure the bonus point.
There was even a stunning score for prop forward Linda Djougang who raced over from 40 metres out.
Before the break there was still time for Elmes Kinlan to make the score 36-0 at the halfway point.
Once the game resumed it was much of the same story. Some 90 seconds after the restart Flood had made her way over the try line and several moments later O’Connor had her second of the game.
As penalties mounted Brython invited more pressure onto themselves and were compounded by Maebh Clenaghan’s effort. To romp home to victory Flood scored two more tries and a converted Jade Gaffney try took Wolfhounds past the 60 point mark.
With six minutes to play Thunder’s Elan Jones was shown a red card for a high tackle on Aoife Corcoran. Naoise Smyth’s 79th minute effort finished off the contest and kept Wolfhounds on top of the pile heading into Round 5.
Clovers 57–31 Glasgow Warriors
Caitriona Finn put in a Player of the Match performance for Clovers as they scored nine tries against Glasgow Warriors in Belfast.
The teenage playmaker scored 17 points on the same week she took part in an Ireland training camp.
Briar McNamara opened the scoring for the Scots, despite Nicole Flynn being in the sin bin for a high tackle. Clovers were not unsettled by their early misfortune as a flowing move saw Alana McInerney score on the left.
A score for Finn was followed by an effort from Anna McGann, while another McInerney score handed Clovers a strong lead.
Ahead of the break Flynn and Emily Coubrough meant that the Irish side had a five-point lead at half-time. When the two teams came back out, Clovers took a firm grasp of the contest with tries from Sadhbh McGrath, Niamh Murphy and Katie Whelan.
Holland Bogan’s score in the 69th minute offered Warriors a brief moment of respite. Glasgow did score a final try through Flynn late on, although that was merely a speedbump for Clovers, who scored further tries through Aoibheann McGrath and Aoife Corey.
