Celtic Challenge 2025/26 Round 6: Wolfhounds qualify and Thunder off the mark

Wolfhounds underlined their status as the team to beat in the Celtic Challenge by qualifying for the knockout rounds in Round 6.

Their dominant win over Gwalia Lightning in Cork was not the only highlight of the weekend, as Brython Thunder ended their wait for a first win of the season in Edinburgh.

Clovers were able to leapfrog Lightning and take second in the league standings with their hard-fought victory against Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun.

Here is how things played out in Round 6 of the 2025/26 Celtic Challenge season…

Glasgow Warriors 31-38 Clovers

Ruth Campbell made her return from a neck injury for Clovers in a highly competitive clash with Glasgow Warriors.

The lock, who made her first appearance since the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, played for 20 minutes at Scotstoun Stadium. It is a result that has seen Denis Fogarty’s side move up to second in the overall standings.

Faith Oviawe benefitted from a bright start to touch down in the sixth minute and Aoibheann McGrath doubled the visitors’ lead just four minutes later. To keep Clovers in the ascendancy Katie Whelan grabbed the visitors’ third of the contest.

Glasgow got a brief moment of respite when Emily Coubrough managed the ball over the whitewash at the base of a close-range scrum.

In an almost immediate response Anna McGann ran in after she picked off a pass from Warriors centre Millie Warren. Caitriona Finn’s conversion gave Clovers a 19-point half-time lead.

McGrath’s second of the match three minutes after the restart marked a change of momentum in the contest as the Scots bedded in. Tries from Holland Bogan and Warren bolstered the home team’s confidence, and when Chisom Ugweru was shown a yellow card for a high tackle, Warriors rallied and were awarded a penalty try. Oviawe received 10 minutes on the sideline for a tackle off the ball.

To close out the contest Clovers’ Siofra Hession and Glasgow’s Briar McNamara traded a try each to cap a thrilling 80 minutes.

Edinburgh Rugby 7-14 Brython Thunder

Brython Thunder’s first win of the season against Edinburgh Rugby in the Scottish capital has kept the team’s hopes of a top four finish stay alive.

Throughout the 80 minutes there was nothing really to separate the two teams. Branwen Metcalfe made the game’s first break, but was contained by Edinburgh’s consistent scramble defence.

Eventually Brython did get the breakthrough as Stella Orrin went over from close range and fly-half Ffion Williams added the conversion.

It took until the 70th minute for the Welsh outfit to double their advantage. Seren Singleton was the try scorer after some patient build-up play. Williams knocked over the conversion for good measure.

In the closing moments Hannah Walker got a consolation try for Edinburgh.

Both teams will meet one another again next week, this time at Parc y Scarlets, where the Scottish outfit will be hoping to avenge this weekend’s result.

Wolfhounds 44-10 Gwalia Lightning

With their dominant win over Gwalia Lightning, Wolfhounds became the first team this season to qualify for the knockout rounds.

Against an in-form Gwalia side, Neill Alcorn’s team scored eight tries at Cork’s Virgin Media Park.

It took less than a minute for the hosts to open the scoring as Maggie Boylan benefitted from the quick-thinking of Stacey Flood. Just several minutes later Dannah O’Brien unleashed Eve Higgins on the halfway line and the centre danced past four opposition defenders to dot down.

Vicky Elmes Kinlan was the next to run one in from long range and really tighten the league leaders’ grip on proceedings. Carys Hughes’ penalty for the visitors provided a short moment of solace for Gwalia, although there were three more tries for the hosts from India Daley, Fiona Tuite and Aoibheann Reilly before the break.

Once the game resumed there was not much in it. Both teams cancelled one another out, with it taking 24 minutes into the second half for either team to register a score. Maebh Clenaghan was the scorer and had a second of the game just four minutes later.

Chloe Thomas-Bradley grabbed a consolation score for Lightning in the final three minutes and Jodi Palmer added the conversion.