Warriors Women players braved Storm Ciara as they took to the field for Wales against Ireland in the Six Nations at Energia Park on Sunday.
Jasmine Joyce, Gwen Crabb and Alisha Butchers all started, while Alex Callender and Ffion Lewis were among the replacements during a 31-12 defeat to the Emerald Isle.
Wales’ tries came from Lauren Smith and skipper Siwan Lillicrap, but four Irish scores in the opening 42 minutes secured the bonus point for the hosts.
“I’m bitterly disappointed for the girls after a tremendous effort,” said Wales Coach Gareth Wyatt.
“Playing into the wind in the first half, we gifted Ireland three opportunities after the girls worked so hard to keep the ball.
“Ireland struck straightaway in the second half, the girls hung in but Ireland dominated the gain-line and we struggled to deal with their physicality.
“France in the next round will be a similar challenge, a big physical side with an off-loading game but we’ve got two weeks to dust ourselves down and go again.”
Scotland host England at 1.30pm today (live on Sky Sports) after Scottish Rugby announced that the game will be played behind closed doors at Murrayfield amid safety concerns for supporters.
“Both Scottish Rugby, the RFU and Six Nations agreed to a short turn around for the fixture, which was postponed from Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow on Sunday lunchtime due to extreme weather conditions as a result of Storm Ciara,” the Scottish governing body said in a statement.
“Weather conditions in Edinburgh on Monday will not be as severe as Glasgow, but still forecast as challenging so the game will not be open to the public or have tickets on sale.”