
Gunderson: Scotland 'ready for battle' against England
And Gunderson, who is part of a leadership group of four and will captain her country against England, knows her team is ready for the challenge ahead.
'Every single one of the girls is up for the battle that we're going to be given, which will be really good,' the 21-year-old back rower said.
'We will fight for it, we're ready to go out there and show what we can do and what we're worth.'
Gunderson plays domestically for Corstorphine Cougars/Edinburgh Rugby, having started playing the sport aged four due to her father being a coach at Forrester Rugby Club, and explained there's a good feeling around the camp ahead of their opening clash.
'We're really excited, we've had such a big build-up this year which has been really nice,' she continued.
'Going from Italy last year to come to [Wales] this year, it's good vibes. We've had really good vibes in the squad, and it's been really nice to be around.'
Following on from the 2024 Women's Summer Series, 14 players across the six countries went on to achieve senior honours during the 2025 Guinness Women's Six Nations, including Scotland's Molly Poolman.
And Gunderson 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 a massive incentive for the girls,' she added.
'It's a great incentive to kick-off the World Cup too; that we can play before it and show what we can do.
'It's massively important this tournament exists and is shown on the platforms that they've got. We can show that women's rugby is growing and going from strength to strength.'
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.
Julie Paterson, Chief of Rugby at Six Nations Rugby, said: '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.'
Spread across three dates during July, Scotland will also face Wales on 11 July before rounding off their campaign against Ireland six days later.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Lionel Messi lined up for blockbuster Ronaldo reunion with talks underway
Lionel Messi's Inter Miami contract expires at the end of the year and it appears that a surprise transfer could potentially be on the cards for the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi is in talks with Saudi side Al-Ahli about a sensational move to the Middle East later this year. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star sees his current Inter Miami contract expire in December. And as it stands, there has been no sign of a renewal. That has opened up the possibility of Messi leaving the MLS side in 2026, with a number of clubs interested in moving. Former side Barcelona have long been linked with him, with president Joan Laporta making his desire to take the Argentine back to the Nou Camp very clear. But it appears that a lucrative move to Saudi could also emerge as an option for Messi. According to French outlet L'Equipe, Saudi side Al-Ahli are interested in signing him and have reportedly been working for 'weeks' to convince the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner to move to the Middle East. Inter Miami though are still hopeful of keeping him, with co-owner Jorge Mas recently revealing his desire to keep the 2022 World Cup winner until at least next season. Speaking to ESPN, he said: "I previously said that my wish, my dream would be for the number 10 to inaugurate our new stadium in March. 'This is a decision that rests on Messi. We wish for Messi to finish his career here. I said a few months ago that we should have news in the summer about that but hopefully it will be as soon as possible," Mas said in an interview with ESPN. "But I am optimistic because we have done everything possible for Leo to feel at home, to feel comfortable. I always said that he is a competitive animal, he wants to win. I hope we can raise many trophies together here at Inter Miami in the coming years. Here, we're just waiting to be able to give the fans the good news about Lionel Messi." He added: "We are a little selfish, we would like to see more trophies and obviously with Messi here. I won't speak for Messi, but I speak for me and the club. Lionel from day one has said he wants to compete and win. He is a competitive animal. Obviously we want to assure that we have the best roster to compete at the highest levels. We'd have to ask Leo, but I think he knows we are doing everything possible. Where should Lionel Messi go? Share your thoughts in the comments below "There is no tool that the league provides us that we have not used to better this roster: signing young players, finding other cracks. For next year, find another star player because we have the space in the roster. From our part, there is not much missing. There is no rush, we don't need to do it today or tomorrow, but soon we will know Messi's decision and hopefully we remain together for many more years." A move to Saudi would see Messi reunited with long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr. The Portuguese forward's future was previously up in the air but signed an eye-watering new deal until 2027. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Niamh Gallagher hails Ireland's resolves in Wales win
Niamh Gallagher hailed the way Ireland were able to withstand early Welsh pressure during her side's battling 27-10 win over the hosts in their 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series opener. Tries from Sophie Barrett, Robyn O'Connor, Hannah Clarke, Jemima Adams-Verling and Ellie O'Sullivan-Sexton were enough to ultimately seal the triumph for the team in green, but they did not have things all their own way at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly. Ireland spent much of the opening 10 minutes inside their own 22 thanks to a period of early Welsh dominance. Wales also twice got themselves within five points of their opponents, at 10-5 and 15-10, through scores from Savannah Picton-Powell and Seren Singleton. Full time in Wales and it's an opening win for the @PwCIreland Ireland Women's U-20 in the @SixNationsU20 Summer Series 👏🏼 — Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) July 5, 2025 But after staving off a sustained assault on their tryline, Ireland responded by taking the lead midway through the first half when prop Barrett dived over off the back of a rolling maul. And Gallagher, who played in Clarke for Ireland's third try during the second half, was delighted that their defensive efforts allowed them to kick-on towards victory. 'Getting a win to start the tournament is unbelievable, start as we mean to go on,' she said. 'There's so much more to see from us. It was a tough one, we were in our half for most of that game. 'We just thought we needed to get it out of our area and play up field. And then when we did get it up there, we showed them what we could do.' Amidst the driving rain, the encounter proved to be a physical test for both sides, with neither team letting up in the tackle. It was a gameplan Gallagher expected from her team's opponents and explained the importance of both forcing Wales into making errors, whilst keeping their own standards high. 'We knew that Wales were going to be a physical team,' she continued. 'We wanted to match that and make sure that we kept the ball and play on our terms. 'It was tough that Wales did stick to being dominant, but we knew we had to get up in their faces and try and make them make mistakes. 'We knew we had to be clinical in our own areas too and I think we were able to do that.' Next up for Ireland is a clash against France, who also won their opening match beating Italy 46-5, and Gallagher believes her side have got the tools to more than put up a fight. She added: 'We've got an excellent back three that we just want to get the ball out to. 'We're also getting there when it comes to securing our breakdowns which is good but of course, we can always look to improve our defence.'


The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Niamh Gallagher hails Ireland's resolves in Wales win
Niamh Gallagher hailed the way Ireland were able to withstand early Welsh pressure during her side's battling 27-10 win over the hosts in their 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series opener. Tries from Sophie Barrett, Robyn O'Connor, Hannah Clarke, Jemima Adams-Verling and Ellie O'Sullivan-Sexton were enough to ultimately seal the triumph for the team in green, but they did not have things all their own way at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly. Ireland spent much of the opening 10 minutes inside their own 22 thanks to a period of early Welsh dominance. Wales also twice got themselves within five points of their opponents, at 10-5 and 15-10, through scores from Savannah Picton-Powell and Seren Singleton. Full time in Wales and it's an opening win for the @PwCIreland Ireland Women's U-20 in the @SixNationsU20 Summer Series 👏🏼 — Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) July 5, 2025 But after staving off a sustained assault on their tryline, Ireland responded by taking the lead midway through the first half when prop Barrett dived over off the back of a rolling maul. And Gallagher, who played in Clarke for Ireland's third try during the second half, was delighted that their defensive efforts allowed them to kick-on towards victory. 'Getting a win to start the tournament is unbelievable, start as we mean to go on,' she said. 'There's so much more to see from us. It was a tough one, we were in our half for most of that game. 'We just thought we needed to get it out of our area and play up field. And then when we did get it up there, we showed them what we could do.' Amidst the driving rain, the encounter proved to be a physical test for both sides, with neither team letting up in the tackle. It was a gameplan Gallagher expected from her team's opponents and explained the importance of both forcing Wales into making errors, whilst keeping their own standards high. 'We knew that Wales were going to be a physical team,' she continued. 'We wanted to match that and make sure that we kept the ball and play on our terms. 'It was tough that Wales did stick to being dominant, but we knew we had to get up in their faces and try and make them make mistakes. 'We knew we had to be clinical in our own areas too and I think we were able to do that.' Next up for Ireland is a clash against France, who also won their opening match beating Italy 46-5, and Gallagher believes her side have got the tools to more than put up a fight. She added: 'We've got an excellent back three that we just want to get the ball out to. 'We're also getting there when it comes to securing our breakdowns which is good but of course, we can always look to improve our defence.'