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Scotland fight back to earn Women’s Six Nations victory in Italy
Scotland claimed victory in Italy for the first time this century to record their second win of the Women’s Six Nations.
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The visitors responded well to a heavy loss against England last weekend, holding on for a 17-10 success in Parma.
Scotland could not make the most of early possession and territory and went behind just after the half-hour mark when Alyssa D’Inca crossed for an Italian try.
Five minutes later Scotland were level, though, the visitors using their power to propel Lana Skeldon over the line, making it 7-7 at half-time.
Two quick tries from Scotland in the 63rd and 69th minutes ultimately decided the contest, with first Emma Orr running in before Chloe Rollie ended another spell of pressure by going over.
A Sara Tounesi penalty brought Italy back within seven points, while Scotland finished with 14 players after dangerous play from Rollie, but the hosts could not take advantage.
Attack 
148
Passes
225
106
Ball Carries
140
326m
Post Contact Metres
311m
4
Line Breaks
6
The result sees the third place in the Women’s Six Nations, and as a result qualification for the Rugby World Cup in 2025 and this year’s WXV 1 competition, hang in the balance until the final day of the competition.
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Scotland move into third place at the end of the first day of round four on eight points, while Italy and Ireland follow in fourth and fifth, both on six points. Wales, the only team without a win so far, are sixth with one point.
With this in mind, it’s probable that Ireland vs Scotland will prove to be the deciding match for third place on Saturday 27th April.
However, if Wales secure a bonus-point win against France in the final match of round four and another bonus-point win against Italy in round five, in addition to altering their points difference to such an extent that they overtake any other team on the same points as them (providing Ireland vs Scotland finishes in either a draw with a try bonus-point for Scotland, or a bonus-point win for Ireland), they could also finish in third.
For Wales, who finished in third last year, reaching third place feels an improbable outcome due to the weight of the results required, but it is still mathematically possible.
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Bonus-point wins for Italy and Ireland, or a draw with a bonus point for Scotland, would see third place decided on points difference.
England’s 88-10 win against Ireland earlier in the day confirmed their top-three finish and place in WXV 1, which they won in 2023. France took the second spot of three in the top level as they are guaranteed to finish in the top two regardless of the results of the remaining matches.
With both England and France already qualified for the 2025 Rugby World Cup due to reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 edition, the team that finishes in third will seal the only available RWC 2025 spot from the 2024 Women’s Six Nations.
Comments on RugbyPass
Less modern South African males predictably triggered.
10 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
78 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
1 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
5 Go to commentsIt is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real people. They claim free speech. Free speech for anonymous trolls/voilent thugs threatening people under false names? The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
2 Go to commentsSo if this ain’t the best Irish team ever then who exactly is? I don’t remember any other Irish team being this good & winning a series in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Yes I may rip them often for 8 X QF RWC exits & twice not even making it to the QF, but they’re a damn good team who many think can only improve, including me!
78 Go to commentsNot a squeek out of Leinster for weeks about this match. So quiet. The first team have been quitely building for this encounter under Nienaber’s direction. All fresh, all highly motivated. They are expecting a season’s best performance from Northhampton. They will match that. They will be fresher and apparently they will have 80,000 out of the 83,000 shouting for them. I do expect Northhampton to turn up big time. Not to be missed. On a tangent it is evident how the loss of a few Premiership teams has in some respect helped other Premiership teams and England. More quality over less teams makes the teams better, which has a knock on effect on England. Not the only factor contributing to England’s rise but one of them.
5 Go to commentsOur very own monster teddy bear Ox😍💪
17 Go to commentsThis is might be the most generalised, entitled, patronising, out-of-pocket cultural indictment on a group of people you’ll ever see on what is supposedly a sports publication. I can only assume the author is weak like a woman or homosexual. I’m feeling an incredible range of emotions but I am not quite sure how to express them. I might go beat up a hockey player - assuming that’s okay with Duane and the boys? 🙂
10 Go to commentsBest thing the Welsh clubs could do is apply to join Gallagher prem surely be more exciting matches for there support than they have now.
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