Ireland captain Neill raring for Six Nations Women's Summer Series
Neill's side begin against Wales in the opening round of fixtures at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, South Wales.
It is the second edition of the U20 tournament, which debuted in Italy 12 months ago when Ireland won one of their three games.
Neill, who also skippered the side on that occasion, is looking forward to another go.
'I'm absolutely buzzing,' the 21-year-old said. 'We're really excited as a team and we're obviously playing the host nation Wales so that'll be tough, they'll probably have a really big crowd
'We've trained well over the last couple of days so we're ready to get going.'
The Arklow native has enjoyed the good feeling around the camp ahead of their opening clash after a strong build-up which saw them face Canada U20 twice, splitting the two-game series 1-1.
'We've been lucky enough to have got going in April, that's when we had our first camp, so we've been building since then,' Neill continued.
'We were lucky enough to play Canada twice in May, which was really interesting for us to get a game out there as a team.'
Following on from the 2024 Women's Summer Series, 14 players across the six countries have since gone on to win full international caps, including Ireland's Ruth Campbell, who made her senior bow in September 2024 against Australia.
And Neill highlighted the importance of the competition for giving players the opportunity to standout and to use it as a springboard to break into the senior team.
'It's amazing to see the growth,' she added.
'I was fortunate enough to captain last year's squad, and I think six or seven of the girls have since been involved with the senior camp. I know Ruth Campbell is now consistently with that team, and she was playing with us last year.
'It's really inspiring to see the senior team is achievable through this.'
With women's rugby on an upward trajectory, the 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series is a big chance for stars of the future to gain vital international experience, graduate along the development pathway, while also inspiring a new generation of rugby fans.
Spread across three dates during July, Ireland will also face France on 11 July before rounding off their campaign against Scotland six days later.
Julie Paterson, Chief of Rugby at Six Nations Rugby, added: 'The Women's Summer Series is an essential part of the strategy and commitment of Six Nations Rugby, and the six unions and federations, to proactively support the creation and growth of opportunities in the women's game.'
Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at sixnationsrugby.com/u6n and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- South Wales Argus
France down rivals England to finish with 100% record
France finished the 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series as the only team with a 100% record after downing England 52-39 in the competition's final match. Doubles from Faustine Piscicelli and Elina Folituu and further scores from Mailys Borak, Anaick Konyi, Zoe Jean and Julie Espinosa made sure France took the spoils in the battle between the two unbeaten sides. The results from the final day of #U6NSummerSeries action 🤩 — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 17, 2025 England, who had beaten Scotland and Italy in their first two games, gave as good as they got, scoring six tries of their own through Amelia MacDougall, Grace Clifford, Lucie Sams, captain Lucy Calladine, Sophie McQueen and Zara Green, but ultimately couldn't find an answer to the questions their opponents posed to them. France made a blistering start to the encounter as Borak crashed over after just three minutes, with Pauline Barrat adding the extras. Going behind sparked England into life and they were level 10 minutes later when MacDougall beautifully peeled off the back of a ruck, catching the French defence off-guard to dot down. Les Bleuettes got themselves back in front halfway through the first half as Piscicelli's dominant run allowed her to dash over England's tryline. Ella Cromack's penalty brought her side to within four points with a classy kick, but the U20 Red Roses were powerless to stop Konyi storm down the left wing to register France's third try. England responded with a period of sustained pressure which proved fruitful as Clifford scored from close range to reduce their deficit to six. Espinosa's yellow card seemingly didn't help the French cause but despite being down to 14 players, they extended their lead through Jean's try when the clock was in the red at the end of the first half. Sams gave England the perfect start after the break, burrowing over after multiple waves of attack on 43 minutes, but Folituu's close-range score three minutes later put France back in the ascendency. England would not lie down, however, retaliating almost immediately as skipper Calladine profited from England's forwards using their physicality to push France back. However, England ceded momentum back to their opponents as Espinosa made up for her earlier sin bin by opportunistically scoring in the left corner. Piscicelli's timely interception allowed her to bag a second try on the hour mark and with England down to 14 due to Millie David's yellow card on 68 minutes, France had the game under control. McQueen hit back when she crossed over, but Folituu's late second score capped a fine French victory despite Green rounding off the scoring for England in added time. 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.
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Ireland end Summer Series on a high with win over Scotland
A try in each half from Player of the Match Neill, alongside O'Connor's brace and scores from Alma Atagamen, Emily Foley, Sophie Barrett, Tara O'Neill, Aoibhe O'Flynn and Saoirse Crowe capped off a brilliant performance from Ireland, who secured their second win of the competition having also beaten Wales in their opening game in Caerphilly. The results from the final day of #U6NSummerSeries action 🤩 — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 17, 2025 Much to their credit, Scotland refused to drop their heads during the encounter, getting themselves within one score of Ireland at 14-7 thanks to Freya MacColl's try, but ultimately ended their campaign with three defeats. Ireland started the game the stronger of the two sides and immediately put their opponents under pressure, pinning Scotland inside their opening 22. The possession high up the field proved to be fruitful for Ireland, as Neill opportunistically dived over to give her side a third-minute lead. That prompted a strong response from those in blue and almost registered their first points of the game, but Poppy Mellanby's attempted pass to Emily Norval just went into touch. Atagamen profited from an Irish lineout taken short after 13 minutes as the second row burst through to score, and Ellen O'Sullivan-Sexton's superb conversion – one of four successful kicks from the tee during the afternoon for the fly-half – stretched the lead to 14-0. Scotland hit back midway through the half as MacColl dotted down in the corner after good work from Mellanby and Clara Dunne. But Foley's try on 25 minutes ensured Ireland went into half time with a two-score lead. Louise Taperell's yellow card five minutes into the second 40 minutes further helped Ireland's cause, who a minute later, through Barrett and the boot of O'Sullivan-Sexton, added another seven points to their tally. O'Connor's darting run down the left wing threatened a fifth Irish try, but it was Neill who got it a few minutes later, crossing the whitewash for her second score of the game. Ireland continued their relentless push for more points, adding their sixth and seventh tries just after the hour mark. O'Neill was able to athletically reach over from close-range before O'Connor got a much deserved try four minutes later, her blistering pace carrying her down the left wing all the way over the try line to make the score 43-7. O'Connor continued to threaten the Scottish defence with her speed, crossing over for her second score with 12 minutes to go and late tries from O'Flynn and Crowe – both converted by Caitriona Finn - rounded off the comprehensive victory. 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.
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Calladine bursting with pride despite France loss
England captain Lucy Calladine was bursting with pride with her teammates' efforts despite falling to a 52-39 loss against France in their final match of the 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series. France ran in eight scores during the gripping encounter in Caerphilly, but England gave as good as they got and scored six tries of their own through Amelia MacDougall, Grace Clifford, Lucie Sams, Calladine, Sophie McQueen and Zara Green. The result also represented a marked improvement from 12 months ago in Italy when France downed the U20 Red Roses 72-21. And Calladine, who plays domestically for Loughborough Lightning in Premiership Women's Rugby, said the nature of her team's performance made it feel like they'd won. The results from the final day of #U6NSummerSeries action 🤩 — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 17, 2025 'I'm so proud,' she said. 'That scoreline is the closest it's ever been [against France] during the whole four years I've been involved. I'm so proud of the girls. They all worked so incredibly hard and it's a win in our eyes.' England beat Scotland 31-17 in their opening Women's Summer Series game before coming from 15-0 down at half-time against Italy to win 36-20 in their second. It means they finished alongside Ireland who also won two of their matches. Calladine explained she'd enjoyed being able to lead her team during the competition in Wales and hinted there is more to come from her side. 'This team makes it incredibly easy for me to be captain,' she continued. 'They're all so kind, so caring and they work incredibly hard for each other. Honestly, I couldn't ask for more from a team. What they do makes it so easy for me. We had a great two wins and obviously this [result] doesn't reflect how good we are as a team.' 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. Calladine was grateful that her and her contemporaries had been given a platform to show what they could do. '[This tournament is] massive, especially with the World Cup coming up,' she added. 'It just shows you how cool the talent is coming forward. It's important to play these games, especially against the likes of France, because it just makes us a better team, and it makes for exciting rugby. 'More people are coming every year to watch. I've been doing it for three or four years now and the crowds have just got bigger and bigger. We always talk about how can we leave the shirt in the best place and I think we've done that today, so I'm really happy.' 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.
