Fran McGhie shines as Scotland hold on to edge out Wales in feisty thriller

Yesterday at 03:21 PM

• Scotland 24-21 Wales
• Six tries and two red cards in Six Nations opener

Two red cards, six tries, a nip-and-tuck scoreboard and a traditional Scottish deluge falling from the sky. This had pretty much everything and Scotland were the team left standing with a win, but only just, at the end of a pulsating encounter. These sides meet again in August, in Pool B of the Women's Rugby World Cup, and judging by the skill, physicality and entertainment on show in Edinburgh, that appointment in Salford will be unmissable.

Sarah Bonar, Emma Orr and Leah Bartlett scored tries for Scotland while Helen Nelson kicked a penalty and three conversions – every kick proving important in the final reckoning. Carys Phillips, Abbie Fleming and Gwenllian Pyrs were try-scorers for Wales, who started and finished strongly, but ultimately paid for missing 35 tackles across the 80 minutes. Credit of course, too, for the silky attacking skills and forward muscle of Scotland, for whom the wing Fran McGhie was a constant threat.