McGillivray scores on Ireland debut

Exeter Chiefs Women’s centre Nancy McGillivray scored on her debut for Ireland as her new national home side beat Scotland 27-21 in Saturday’s warm-up game ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

With an Irish father, McGillivray made the decision to swap from England to Ireland this summer, and her ambition was rewarded with her first international try at the start of the second half.

McGillivray said: “It was an absolute honour to wear the green jersey for the first time and earn my first cap. Playing alongside such an incredible group of girls made it even more special; it was a day I’ll never forget.

“I am so grateful for the people who’ve supported me every step of the way, especially my family, who are such a big part of why I play.”

Elsewhere, Chiefs’ No 8 Maddie Feaunati scored the Red Roses’ first try in a 15-try 97-7 rout over Spain.

On the other side of the pond, Canada hosted the USA in Ottawa, coming away 42-10 winners with six tries to one. Alex Tessier and DaLeaka Menin both started for Canada with Hope Rogers collecting another cap in the Eagles’ front-row.

Chiefs’ fly-half/centre and Canada captain Tessier said: “We stayed composed and stuck to our plan. We came out strong in the second half and finished the job well.”

Canada will take on Ireland in Ulster this Saturday (KO 12:00) while England will travel to Mont-de-Marsan to play France (KO 20:10) for their last warm-up games for the Rugby World Cup starts.

USA arrived in England at the weekend to continue training ahead of the tournament opener against favourites England on August 22 at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.

The first game at Sandy Park will be played on Saturday, August 23, and will hopefully feature new Chiefs player Francesca Granzotto for Italy against France. Canada then play Scotland on September 6. Tickets for all Rugby World Cup games at Sandy Park are available here.