Latest news with #CeitidhAinsworth
South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Fletcher proud to be named Scotland's Summer Series MVP
The 21-year-old was ever-present for Scotland during the competition in Caerphilly, demonstrating her prowess in the front row time and again during games against Wales, England and Ireland. However, the award came as a surprise to Fletcher, with the prop quickly hailing the impacts of other players who she felt were equally deserving of the honour. 'I didn't really expect it at all,' said Fletcher, who plays for the University of Edinburgh and is in her second year studying applied sports science. 'Being up against the likes of Ceitidh Ainsworth, who played out of her skin and controls the game, and Poppy Mellanby, who is a shining star and incredible, so to win is very exciting. '[This award] is so important because it's voted for by the management, players and the team around you. I think that makes it even more special and it's really lovely to hear.' This has been the second incarnation of the Women's Summer Series, a tournament designed to give U20s players the opportunity to play more competitive rugby to help with their development, with the first edition being played in Italy in 2024, And despite results not going Scotland's way during their time in South Wales, losing all three of their encounters, Fletcher believes the age-group competition is a great platform for players to showcase their skills. 🏴 Scotland Women's U20s head coach Louise Dalgliesh is proud of her players' development throughout the 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series despite failing to win any of their three games. Read more ➡️ — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 21, 2025 'The Summer Series is crazy important, especially representing your country at age grade,' she continued. "We've got the Celtic Challenge, but having the 20s means younger girls can play with those girls that have played in the Celtic Challenge and so it's a nice in that everyone can play. 'And this competition offers rugby on an international stage, so it's pretty cool to be able to put out your best performances where people can see.' With the Women's Rugby Cup set to kick-off in Sunderland next month, Fletcher believes the age-grade tournament was the perfect start to an important summer of women's rugby. Fletcher said: 'It's a massive summer of women's sport and it's so exciting. The World Cup is going to be so good, and I think a lot of girls could have a great chance of getting into those World Cup squads yet to be announced. 'And although some squads have already been named, players can get called up for any reason. I think a lot of girls have put in performances [at the Women's Summer Series] that mean they could be on the side lines ready to be picked.' Fletcher also reflected that her experience of the tournament will stand her in good stead for the future as she looks to kick-on with her career. '[Playing in the Women's Summer Series] will help me for sure,' she added. 'I've played against some big names during it. I remember the England game, when I was coming out and I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm about to be scrumming down against Grace Clifford, she's been in Red Roses squads before'. 'Playing U20s with some of those types of faces is pretty insane. I'll massively look back at this as it was the best experience ever.' Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Fletcher proud to be named Scotland's Summer Series MVP
The 21-year-old was ever-present for Scotland during the competition in Caerphilly, demonstrating her prowess in the front row time and again during games against Wales, England and Ireland. However, the award came as a surprise to Fletcher, with the prop quickly hailing the impacts of other players who she felt were equally deserving of the honour. 'I didn't really expect it at all,' said Fletcher, who plays for the University of Edinburgh and is in her second year studying applied sports science. 'Being up against the likes of Ceitidh Ainsworth, who played out of her skin and controls the game, and Poppy Mellanby, who is a shining star and incredible, so to win is very exciting. '[This award] is so important because it's voted for by the management, players and the team around you. I think that makes it even more special and it's really lovely to hear.' This has been the second incarnation of the Women's Summer Series, a tournament designed to give U20s players the opportunity to play more competitive rugby to help with their development, with the first edition being played in Italy in 2024, And despite results not going Scotland's way during their time in South Wales, losing all three of their encounters, Fletcher believes the age-group competition is a great platform for players to showcase their skills. 🏴 Scotland Women's U20s head coach Louise Dalgliesh is proud of her players' development throughout the 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series despite failing to win any of their three games. Read more ➡️ — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 21, 2025 'The Summer Series is crazy important, especially representing your country at age grade,' she continued. "We've got the Celtic Challenge, but having the 20s means younger girls can play with those girls that have played in the Celtic Challenge and so it's a nice in that everyone can play. 'And this competition offers rugby on an international stage, so it's pretty cool to be able to put out your best performances where people can see.' With the Women's Rugby Cup set to kick-off in Sunderland next month, Fletcher believes the age-grade tournament was the perfect start to an important summer of women's rugby. Fletcher said: 'It's a massive summer of women's sport and it's so exciting. The World Cup is going to be so good, and I think a lot of girls could have a great chance of getting into those World Cup squads yet to be announced. 'And although some squads have already been named, players can get called up for any reason. I think a lot of girls have put in performances [at the Women's Summer Series] that mean they could be on the side lines ready to be picked.' Fletcher also reflected that her experience of the tournament will stand her in good stead for the future as she looks to kick-on with her career. '[Playing in the Women's Summer Series] will help me for sure,' she added. 'I've played against some big names during it. I remember the England game, when I was coming out and I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm about to be scrumming down against Grace Clifford, she's been in Red Roses squads before'. 'Playing U20s with some of those types of faces is pretty insane. I'll massively look back at this as it was the best experience ever.' Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
Powys County Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Ainsworth inspired by Six Nations Women's Summer Series
Ceitidh Ainsworth has been inspired to chase her goals after representing Scotland at the Six Nations Women's Summer Series. This year's instalment marked the second time the 21-year-old fly-half from Stirling has played in the competition, which sees Under-20 sides go head-to-head across three matchdays. Scotland were unable to win any of their matches but Glasgow Warriors prospect Ainsworth is taking plenty of inspiration from her experience in Caerphilly. 'I just want to continue to improve,' she said. 'Go back to club, continue working on all aspects of my game, and then see how far it can get me. 'I think you've seen from previous years that the Summer Series is great. So many from last year have gone on to the senior international team and have played and got caps for the country. 'We want to develop and continue to use the Under-20s as a place to get experience and develop, and it is a good competition to then progress further. 'We used to not have a clear pathway, it used to just be your club and then straight to national. 'But getting the experience of having these camps, going away for two weeks with the team and getting used to playing at a higher level, is a good stepping stone to getting to that national team.' 🏴 Scotland Women's U20s head coach Louise Dalgliesh is proud of her players' development throughout the 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series despite failing to win any of their three games. Read more ➡️ #U6NSummerSeries — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 21, 2025 Scotland started their campaign at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in South Wales with a battling 31-17 defeat to England. Ainsworth then scored in her side's 52-29 loss against the hosts before they were beaten 62-7 by Ireland in the final fixture. While results did not go as expected, Ainsworth believes there is a lot she and her team can take from their time at the tournament. She added: 'It was a great experience, thankfully the weather stayed nice for us as well. 'Obviously, we didn't quite get the results we were hoping for, but we worked hard, improved as a team, and it was such a great experience to go and play against different nations. 'We learnt adaptability, you would go into a game expecting something and then it might not necessarily be what it was, so we would change our game or do what we had to do to play against the opposition and try and beat them. 'But also, working together as a team, coming together after the games if we were a bit upset, going and analysing what happened, the things we did well, as well as what we needed to work on. 'It was great scoring tries for Scotland. It is always great putting on a Scotland jersey, but scoring for Scotland and getting points on the board is always amazing."
South Wales Argus
16-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Scotland desperate to finish Summer Series on high
Following an opening day 31-17 loss to England, Scotland suffered their second defeat of the competition at the hands of hosts Wales losing 52-29 last Friday. Having been 28-3 down after 36 minutes, Scotland rallied with four tries of their own, outscoring their opponents 26-24 over the next 44 minutes. 'We want to finish really strong,' the 20-year-old said. 'We've had some really good moments throughout this campaign, in the English and Welsh games. 'The vibe in camp is pretty positive. We've been doing mini challenges within the squad that keep the competition and excitement up. 'Another positive is everyone has gotten closer and closer as the camp has gone on, and we're really looking forward to kicking on into that Irish game and hopefully ending in a positive manner.' At the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, Ceitidh Ainsworth scored just before half-time and then Freya MacColl grabbed a double after the break, either side of Poppy Mellanby's try to see Scotland show real fight against Wales. Alongside that second-half performance, Scotland fought valiantly against England in Round 1 and enjoyed periods of success against the Auld Enemy. MacRae acknowledged the challenge now for her and her teammates was to put together a complete performance across a full 80 minutes. 'A rugby game is never going to be perfect,' the inside centre continued. 'We're expecting that there's going to be mistakes from both sides, that's just the nature of sport. "But we're looking to link up all those moments that we've had and be slightly more consistent with it. 'And if we can do that, I know for a fact that if we do what we've been doing in training, we can definitely bring it come Thursday.' Ireland also go into the final round of fixtures looking to bounce back from a defeat in Round 2 where they were downed 41-12 by France. But having won their opening match against Wales 27-10 and led France 12-10 during the first half last time out, MacRae is more than aware of the threat Ireland will pose. 'They've obviously got quite a lot of pace on their wings,' she added. 'They all have a physical pack but we're aware of how Irish teams play and we're excited to get stuck in.' Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at U6N | SIX NATIONS - YouTube and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
The Herald Scotland
16-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland desperate to finish Summer Series on high
Following an opening day 31-17 loss to England, Scotland suffered their second defeat of the competition at the hands of hosts Wales losing 52-29 last Friday. Having been 28-3 down after 36 minutes, Scotland rallied with four tries of their own, outscoring their opponents 26-24 over the next 44 minutes. 'We want to finish really strong,' the 20-year-old said. 'We've had some really good moments throughout this campaign, in the English and Welsh games. 'The vibe in camp is pretty positive. We've been doing mini challenges within the squad that keep the competition and excitement up. 'Another positive is everyone has gotten closer and closer as the camp has gone on, and we're really looking forward to kicking on into that Irish game and hopefully ending in a positive manner.' At the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, Ceitidh Ainsworth scored just before half-time and then Freya MacColl grabbed a double after the break, either side of Poppy Mellanby's try to see Scotland show real fight against Wales. Alongside that second-half performance, Scotland fought valiantly against England in Round 1 and enjoyed periods of success against the Auld Enemy. MacRae acknowledged the challenge now for her and her teammates was to put together a complete performance across a full 80 minutes. 'A rugby game is never going to be perfect,' the inside centre continued. 'We're expecting that there's going to be mistakes from both sides, that's just the nature of sport. "But we're looking to link up all those moments that we've had and be slightly more consistent with it. 'And if we can do that, I know for a fact that if we do what we've been doing in training, we can definitely bring it come Thursday.' Ireland also go into the final round of fixtures looking to bounce back from a defeat in Round 2 where they were downed 41-12 by France. But having won their opening match against Wales 27-10 and led France 12-10 during the first half last time out, MacRae is more than aware of the threat Ireland will pose. 'They've obviously got quite a lot of pace on their wings,' she added. 'They all have a physical pack but we're aware of how Irish teams play and we're excited to get stuck in.' Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at U6N | SIX NATIONS - YouTube and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
