Glasgow Warriors 31-38 Clovers
31 Jan 2026Glasgow Warriors were edged out by a physical Clovers outfit in the sixth round of the Celtic Challenge competition, with the visitors recording a 31-38 victory at Scotstoun this afternoon.
Despite another solid comeback in the second-half from Warriors that saw the side claim four tries, the hosts had to settle on claiming two bonus points from the encounter.
It was a frantic start to the first-half, as full-back Poppy Mellanby broke through the defence and burst up the midfield but an eventual turnover from Anna McGann brought the Warriors’ early effort to an end.
Shortly afterwards, Clovers got the first points on the board as Faith Oviawe cruised in to score, with an unsuccessful conversion attempt by Caitriona Finn (0-5).
Several errors proved costly for Warriors throughout the contest, with Clovers taking advantage of the situation and controlling possession and territory.
The visitors’ built on their tally when Aoibheann McGrath scurried in under the posts, with Finn adding the extras (0-12).
Clovers extended their lead further as scrum-half Katie Whelan picked up the ball from the base of the ruck before sniping her way through the defence to score, with Finn adding extras (0-19).
A blistering run from Rebekah Douglas provided an attacking platform for Glasgow Warriors but the hosts struggled to get over the line despite a sustained period of pressure.
Their patience was rewarded though when Emily Coubrough scored on the back of a strong drive in the scrum, with Millie Warren slotting the conversion through the posts (7-19).
Clovers had the last say in the first-half, as Anna McGann managed to intercept a pass before sprinting over the line to score (7-26).
HALF-TIME: Glasgow Warriors 7-26 Clovers
Clovers came firing out the blocks after the break, with Alana McInerney close to scoring but a try-saving tackle by Sky Phimister brought her to a halt. Clovers quickly regathered the ball before it was floated out to McGrath who claimed her second try of the game (7-31).
Warriors’ resilence – which has been showcased throughout the season – was on full display again as the side launched a counter attack and capitalised when Holland Bogan dotted down from close range (12-31).
Six minutes later, the hosts were back on the scoreboard as some great interplay between the forwards and backs provided the perfect opportunity for Warren to crash over the whitewash (17-31).
It looked as though Glasgow would potentially have another opportunity to gain valuable territory as a fortuitous bounce of the ball saw Sky Phimister collect, however, the winger was brought to a stop by Chisom Ugwueru, with the Clovers replacement receiving a yellow card for a high tackle.
Further infringements from Clovers saw Glasgow Warriors awarded with a penalty try, with Oviawe receiving a yellow card to leave Clovers down to 13-players with 10 minutes to go (24-31).
Clovers rallied and were able to get some breathing space on the board as Siofra Hession dived over the line, with the replacement adding the extras (24-38).
Determined to clinch a losing bonus-point, Glasgow retaliated and their last gasp attempt came to fruition as Briar McNamara crossed over the line in the last moment of the match, with the centre slotting through the conversion to claim the bonus point (31-38).
Speaking after the match, Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Lindsey Smith said: “I felt we kept battling. We did show that we are pretty brave and we’ve got a bit of relentlessness about us but I’d like it if we didn’t challenge ourselves as much in the first-half and leave it all to the second-half.
“I think we again showed that resilience that we’ve got in us and I’m proud of the comeback now it’s about trying to get out on top and staying on top.”
FULL-TIME: Glasgow Warriors 31-38 Clovers
