Ireland's day of history at Aviva Stadium could hardly have gone any better, as Scott Bemand’s side saved their best for last in the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations.
In front of a record 31,294 people, in the first ever standalone women’s Test at the Aviva, Ireland dominated Scotland from start to finish to record a 54-5 win, locking in another third-place finish, and securing three wins in the championship for the first time since 2020.
Any fears that Ireland could be distracted by the occasion at Lansdowne Road were gone within seconds when Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald crossed for their opening try inside four minutes, the first of seven first-half tries as they raced into a 47-0 lead at the break.
Aoife Wafer scored two of those, and the number 8 gave yet another emphatic performance from the base of the scrum, her second score on the stroke of half-time being the pick of the Irish tries after Robyn O’Connor’s stunning break from deep allowed Wafer an easy run under the posts.
O’Connor scored Ireland’s second try of the game, while Brittany Hogan, Erin King and Stacey Flood also crossed for tries in the opening half, by which point the game was done.
The second half was a tepid affair with the result long beyond doubt, as Hogan’s second try of the game brough Ireland above the 50-point mark for the second time in the championship, and while Scotland frustrated the Irish attack in that second period, it took them until the final play of the game to land any kind of blow.
This was never anything other then Ireland’s day, with a deluge of tries in the opening quarter setting them on their way.
There were just three minutes on the clock when the Irish scrum drove Scotland backwards and won possession against the head, before Eve Higgins got them close to the line where they won a penalty.
From there it was straightforward, the lineout finding King and the maul allowing Moloney-MacDonald touch down for the opening try, as O’Brien converted to make it 7-0 on four minutes.
Two minutes later, O’Brien’s deep kick was chased down as Scotland’s clearance kick was tipped by Linda Djougang. Aoife Dalton’s weaving run stretched the Scottish defence, before O’Connor (below) stepped back inside the grain, slicing the visitors up the middle for the second try, again converted by O’Brien for 14-0.
The opening quarter was almost exclusively played in the Scottish half, with their only entry to Irish territory lasting literally a few seconds before a turnover let Wafer barge through for a 20 metre gain.
Eventually, another penalty was kicked into the corner by O’Brien to set Ireland on the attack, and while Ireland’s maul was halted, another Wafer carry brought them close to the line, before Hogan followed up with a pick-and-go to grab the third try.
The bonus-point was secure before the 20th minute, Wafer’s pick-and-go from a scrum once again the launchpad, before the scrambling Scottish defence infringed, allowing O’Brien kick to the corner, with Djougang stopped just short of the line, before King followed up for the fourth Irish try, making it 26-0.
They thought they were in for another on 27 minutes when Moloney-MacDonald squirmed her way over the line following a series of one-out and pick-and-go attempts, only for the try to be ruled out for a ruck infringement. It only took them 60 seconds before they could celebrate again.
From the resulting lineout, the Scottish throw sailed over the jumpers into the hands of Moloney-MacDonald, who was stopped inches short of the line, with Wafer following up to barge over, and O’Brien converting for 33-0.
Five minutes before half time, another penalty put the Irish maul on the march once again, and while it was held up by the Scottish pack, Flood ran a hard line onto O’Brien’s flat pass to score under the posts, with the out-half’s conversion making it 40-0.
Aoife Wafer just doing what Aoife Wafer does best 😮💨💪#GuinnessW6N #LovelyDayW6N pic.twitter.com/Tog8n9K22y
— Guinness Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) May 17, 2026
There was still time for more in dream first half, and the seventh try was the bast of the lot as O’Connor decided to run a Scottish kick back from deep, swiveling through the tackles of Leah Bartlett and Lucia Scott to burst into space, before a simple pop to her right sent Wafer running through for her second of the game, as O’Brien’s conversion made it 47-0 at the break.
A torrential downpour during half time took the sting out of the third quarter, in a sloppy period for both sides, while Bemand called in six replacements at once to raise the tempo again.
Ruth Campbell and Dorothy Wall both got on the ball early as Ireland pushed to break the 50-point mark, and when they won a penalty under the posts, Eilís Cahill barged her way to within inches of the line, before Hogan forced her way over for her second try of the afternoon and fifth of the championship, as another O’Brien conversion took the lead out to 54-0.
Ireland continued to dominate, but their final touch was just missing, Neve Jones making an impressive carry towards the 70th minute, only to lose the ball in contact, before Hogan’s tip-on pass to Dalton went forward on another good venture to the 22.
Incredibly, it took Scotland 77 minutes to have possession in the Irish 22, as they pushed for a late consolation when repeated Irish infringements led to Campbell being yellow-carded.
Aicha Sutcliffe’s try with 86 minutes on the clock was the final act, getting Scotland on the board, but it did little to dampen the celebrations on a landmark day for Irish women’s rugby.
Scorers
Ireland: Tries: Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Robyn O’Connor, Brittany Hogan (2), Erin King, Aoife Wafer (2), Stacey Flood
Cons: Dannah O’Brien (7)
Scotland: Tries: Aicha Sutcliffe
Ireland: Stacey Flood; Béibhinn Parsons, Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins, Robyn O'Connor; Dannah O'Brien, Emily Lane; Ellena Perry, Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Linda Djougang; Sam Monaghan, Fiona Tuite; Brittany Hogan, Erin King (capt), Aoife Wafer.
Replacements: Neve Jones (for Moloney-MacDonald, 49), Sadhbh McGrath (for Perry, 49), Eilís Cahill (for Djougang, 49), Dorothy Wall (for Monaghan, 49), Ruth Campbell (for Tuite, 49), Katie Whelan (for Lane, 60), Vicky Elmes Kinlan (for O’Connor, 49), Niamh Gallagher (for Parsons, 60).
Scotland: Chloe Rollie; Rhona Lloyd, Rachel Philipps, Meryl Smith, Shona Campbell; Helen Nelson (capt), Leia Brebner-Holden; Leah Bartlett, Elis Martin, Elliann Clarke; Emma Wassell, Louise McMillan; Becky Boyd, Eva Donaldson, Emily Coubrough.
Replacements: Aicha Sutcliffe (for Martin, 54), Demi Swann (for Bartlett, 54), Molly Poolman (for Clarke, 74) , Hollie Cunningham (for McMillan , 66), Holland Bogan (for Boyd, 50), Rhea Clarke (for Brebner-Holden, 63), Lucia Scott (for Smith, 4, HIA), Coreen Grant (for Rollie, 54).
Referee: Aurélie Groizeleau (FFR)
