Missing a number of experienced players, including captain Simone Magill, Laura Rafferty and Nadene Caldwell, McArdle handed a debut to defender Jane McMaster and first caps to Kess Elmore and Charlotte Havern off the bench.

McMaster responded well after giving away the early penalty for Encarnacao’s opener, while Kelmore was lively in the second half and, at 16, it was a big moment for Cliftonville’s Havern to be introduced with 10 minutes remaining.

“It’s fundamental, especially for our younger players, to get this exposure,” McArdle added.

“It’s a risk and it’s brave, but it’s one that will definitely 100% stand strong with us in the long term.

“It will give us that sustainable opportunity to qualify for tournaments in the longer run because we need our younger players to get this exposure, but also for a lot of our senior players as well.”

After impressing in the second half before Pinto’s goal took the wind out of their sails, McArdle said his players will “hurt for the next 24 hours or so” but will regroup for the second leg.

Northern Ireland will be without Cora Chambers, who was sent off in the closing stages for grabbing the hair of Carolina Correia.

“There’s the travel over to Portugal thrown in to allow us to relax a wee bit afterwards.

“But once we get there, we’ll look forward to Tuesday again.

“We’re trying to qualify, but there is a longer process as well that we’ll use Tuesday night for.”

Former Essex cricketer Robin Das has appeared in court charged with raping a woman twice in south London.

The 24-year-old, of Leytonstone, east London, is accused of carrying out the sex attacks in Brixton in March 2024.

He appeared in the dock at Inner London Crown Court, wearing a navy suit, white shirt and dark tie.

Judge Freya Newbury fixed a five-day trial for January 2028.

“I’m afraid we are all just really under the cosh at the moment,” she said of the trial date.

Das was released on conditional bail at the end of the hearing.

He was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in August 2025 and charged with the rapes in July.

Das made 60 appearances for Essex County Cricket Club, and last played for them at a One-Day Cup match against Middlesex on 21 July.

United Rugby Championship

Glasgow Warriors (19) 36

Tries: Hiddleston 2, Darge, McKay, Stephen Cons: Horne 4 Pens: Lancaster

Connacht (7) 19

Tries: Jansen, Ioane 2 Cons: Frawley 2

Glasgow Warriors ran in five tries against Connacht to claim a bonus-point win and continue their unbeaten start to the United Rugby Championship season.

After last weekend’s draw with Ulster at Scotstoun, Warriors were gunning for their first home win of the campaign.

But it was Connacht who started on the front foot and number eight Sean Jansen found his way to the line to put the visitors in front.

The early stages were played almost exclusively in the home side’s half, but on their first real foray into opposition territory Warriors sent a rolling line-out maul thundering over the Connacht line, with Gregor Hiddleston touching down.

The game was a little bitty, with neither side really getting their attacking game firing, so it was no surprise when Glasgow’s second try came courtesy of another driving maul. Rory Darge was on hand to finish it off this time, and George Horne knocked over the conversion to put Warriors into a five-point lead.

The home side had exposed Connacht’s weakness and were exploiting it ruthlessly. Prop Sam Illo was sent to the sin-bin for halting yet another rolling maul illegally as it headed for the visitors’ line.

He need not have bothered as Glasgow simply kicked to the corner again, set the maul in motion and Hiddleston was left to touch down for his second try of the night to send them in at the break 12 points to the good.

If the first three Glasgow tries were all about power, the fourth was down to pure precision. Dan Lancaster found Jamie Dobie with a pinpoint cross-field kick and the wing gathered and cushioned a little grubber perfectly into the path of Josh McKay to go over for the bonus-point try.

Connacht were not quite done yet and Josh Ioane scored to give the visitors a little hope at 26-14.

That belief grew stronger when Ioane went over in the corner to make it a one-score game.

Connacht’s momentum was checked when substitute Josh Murphy was sent to the sin-bin for a high shot on Seb Stephen and Glasgow punished them almost immediately with another rolling line-out maul, Stephen himself finishing it off to give Warriors some breathing space.

Lancaster popped over a straightforward penalty at the death as Glasgow sealed the maximum five points.