Scottish Rugby

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Bryan Easson says the fact he is stepping down as Scotland head coach after this month's Women's World Cup gives the tournament "an extra edge" for him.

Scottish Rugby confirmed in July that Easson would depart the role after the tournament when his contract expires.

The Scots kick off their campaign against Wales in Salford on August 23.

"The fact that it's the last dance, it does put that little bit of an extra edge on it," Easson told the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast.

"I'm just so excited to see what this group can do. We've had some massive highs but some real lows, and we've gone through a lot together.

"I think that's probably the strength of the group, some of the adversity that we've gone through.

"I've worked with a lot of these players for the last five, six, seven years and just to see them grow, to see this team grow, going from 12th to fifth in the world and going into every game that we play now to have real belief and we expect to win.

"To finish off a Rugby World Cup certainly does fill me with a lot of excitement, but I'll reflect at the end of it. I'll look back and it is a job that I have thoroughly enjoyed."

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Steve Tandy says it was "really tough" to leave his role as Scotland defence coach and paid tribute to Gregor Townsend's "major influence" on his career.

The 45-year-old Welshman ended his six-year Scotland stint last month to take charge of his national team.

"Leaving Scotland was really tough, there are not many jobs that I would have left Scotland for," said Tandy at his Wales unveiling in Cardiff.

"Gregor has had a major influence on me. We are different people, I have a defence mindset and he had an attack mindset, so that shaped how we were going to defend.

"It opened up my mind and he was massive on getting out of your comfort zone and going to different places.

"For example, I went to Melbourne Storm and spent a month there, then you go to AFL.

"He was very much a curious person and always trying to think outside the box, building environments for boys to be themselves.

"The players were incredible to work with and then how Scotland made my family feel, with the support we got.

"It was tough to leave but that tells you about the excitement of this job. I am a passionate Welshman, I want Wales to be putting in performances that everyone can get behind."

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Scotland head coach Bryan Easson has named his 32-player squad for the upcoming Women's World Cup in England.

Captain Rachel Malcolm leads a selection comprising 18 forwards and 14 backs for a Pool B campaign against Wales, Fiji and Canada.

Loughborough Lightning full-back Lucia Scott misses out, but Lana Skeldon has been selected despite the Bristol hooker - whose 81 appearances make her the most-capped member of the squad - leaving the field on a stretcher against Ireland on Saturday.

Scotland's best showing at a Women's World Cup came in 1994 when they finished fifth on home soil in their tournament debut.

The Scots failed to qualify for the 2014 and 2017 editions and didn't make it past the pool stage in 2021.

What do you make of Easson's squad? Do you think Scotland are well equipped this time round - and how far can they go?

Let us know your thoughts

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Scotland hooker Lana Skeldon might miss the World Cup with injury after she suffered a serious-looking ankle injury in the loss against Ireland.

The 81-cap Bristol Bears forward was hurt trying to make a tackle and received treatment on the field for eight minutes before being taken off on a stretcher.

"She was taken away to hospital just to have a look at it," head coach Bryan Easson told media.

"It was an ankle injury and she's going for an X-ray, so hopefully we'll find out sooner rather than later. But as to what it is, we don't know yet.

An SRU statement post-match wrote that Skeldon "is in good spirits, is undergoing further assessment and remains in good hands with our medical team."

Losing 31-year-old Skeldon would be an enormous blow for Easson as the Borders-born hooker is one of his key players and try-scorers.

Elis Martin has played back-up to Skeldon for the last few seasons, while Molly Wright - who can play across the front row - could also be an option. 21-year-old Aila Ronald is in the wider World Cup squad, but is yet to make her Scotland debut.

Star winger Rhona Lloyd was a late exclusion from the matchday squad to play Ireland, but Easson said it was "precautionary".

"She had a little twinge in her quad during the captain's run on Friday so we felt that it wasn't worth the risk, but it was precautionary," the head coach said.

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Scotland head coach Bryan Easson has predicted "a huge future" for Hannah Ramsay after handing the 21-year-old a first Scotland start against Ireland on Saturday.

It comes after the Edinburgh and Edinburgh University fly-half was among second-half replacements who inspired a stirring comeback in last week's defeat by Italy.

Easson said Ramsay showed she belonged from the moments she collected a high punt straight from the restart as she earned her first cap.

"We have seen an awful lot in her in terms of her huge potential," he said as he prepares to make his final squad selection for next month's Women's Rugby World Cup. "She's got a huge future ahead of her.

"As a person, she's fitted in really well. She's very coachable, understands what she needs to do to get better - really good, high-performance behaviours.

"As a rugby player, I thought she showed real maturity in her first cap last week. That just shows the mark of the person, the mark of the player.

"The way she has controlled training, controlled us an attacking team as well as a defensive team has shown maturity beyond her years."

Alex Stewart also starts on Saturday in Scotland's final Women's World Cup warm-up game, and Easson praised the 21-year-old flanker for the way she has handled being diagnosed last month with both type one diabetes and coeliac disease.

Stewart had a hypoglycemic episode immediately before last week's defeat by Italy but was still able to be one of the second-half replacements.

"She is obviously being well looked after," Easson said of the Edinburgh Rugby/Corstorphine Cougars forward. "I can't speak highly enough of her medical department.

"She knows how to deal with it. She knows how to cope and they've got everything in place and I think she's just taken it in her stride.

"I think in the Six Nations, it was just diagnosed and it was very difficult for her, but in that short space of time she's managed to cope with the adversity of, one, that diagnosis and, two, to understand what that means for a high-performing athlete."

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Scotland head coach Bryan Easson is looking for "a big" result against Ireland on Saturday to send his side to the Women's Rugby Cup on a high as he prepares to complete his squad selection next week.

Easson will reduce his squad from its current 37 to 32 following the match in Cork and says "there are opportunities" for players to still stake a claim.

Asked about the changes made following last week's 34-29 defeat away to Italy, he said: "The selection this weekend is based on, yes, performance from last week but also looking ahead to Wales as well.

"Last week was all about performance. We wanted to see where we had come during pre-season. We had a lot of conditioning work, a lot of rugby work and a few system changes with a new attack coach coming in late, a new forward coach as well.

"This week it is around what we do in the game. This one is purely Test match."

Scotland fell just short after a stirring comeback in Viadana.

"There were a lot of good performances last week against Italy," Easson said. "The first 20-25 minutes was rusty. It was probably akin to some pre-season games, where it takes a while to get in.

"Post that 20 minutes, I thought we performed really well and, second half in particular, I thought the bench really stepped up. I thought they brought a real intensity."

Scotland will spend next week at their St Andrews training camp before heading to Manchester for their 23 August opener against the Welsh.

"The preparation is very much done," Easson added. "It is a big performance now. Players are in a good place."

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Glasgow Warriors have added to their front-row options by signing Ottavio Tuipulotu - younger brother of Scotland captain Sione and Edinburgh centre Mosese - from New South Wales Waratahs.

The 21-year-old hooker has penned a two-year deal with Franco Smith's side, becoming a team-mate of British and Irish Lion Sione, who urged him to sign.

Tuipulotu, who has represented Australia Under-20s, is eligible to represent Scotland courtesy of his grandmother from Greenock.

"I've been following the team for the last couple years and have seen how well they've been doing," he said. "Not to mention how much the fans get around the boys.

"⁠I've spoken to Sione about Glasgow a lot, and he's just told me that while it's different to home - especially being a lot colder than Australia - the culture within the team and within the community in Glasgow is so strong.

"As soon as Glasgow sent me the contract offer, Sione was the first person I called, and he told me to pack my bags and join him up north.

"To be able to play at Scotstoun would be an unreal moment in my life. I've seen and heard how electric the fans are with the atmosphere they create, and how much they back our boys – I can't wait to meet them all."

Head coach Franco Smith added: "Tavi is a player that we have been tracking for a while, and we're pleased that he has decided to follow Sione in making the move north to continue his rugby journey with us.

"He brings dynamism in both attack and defence, as well as a real desire to work hard and learn from both the coaches and the players around him."

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Finn Russell says "the job is not done" for the British and Irish Lions as they hunt down a series whitewash.

Andy Farrell's men held their nerve to overcome Australia 29-26 in the second Test and clinch the series on Saturday.

But Russell, and his teammates, are looking to finish with a 100 per cent record, a feat that has not been achieved since 1927.

"Everyone here has been gunning for this for their whole career," Scottish fly-half Russell said of the series victory.

"To get to the Lions is one thing and then to get a series win is another.

"This is my third tour and I've not won one so it's special to get this, bringing four nations together to be a family for five, six weeks.

"So to get the series is amazing, but the job's still not done yet. We need to go and try and finish it off.

"Even though we've got the series, we want to finish on a high. Everyone wants to play in that game."

With uncertainty surrounding player contracts and head coach Bryan Easson leaving his role after the World Cup, we asked what you make of the current state of women's rugby in Scotland.

Here are some of your responses:

Gus: Badly treated by the union. Doing their best under dreadful circumstances. Management have a lot to answer for.

Allan: Not been an auspicious start for the new SRU CEO, Alex Williamson. Hardly hit the ground running, and Mr McGuigan seems to have disappeared into the background.

David Nucifora does not seem to be working out well, and Scottish rugby appears to be haemorrhaging coaching talent at an alarming rate. Townsend/Franco Smith situation and now Tandy, Easson and Brown.

The women's game has been in flux the past two months, and rather than managing the situation, they seem to be ignoring it. Hard for sportspeople to focus on performance with these levels of uncertainty.

Feels like months of inaction and ostrich mentality by the SRU after a disappointing Six Nations for both the men's and women's teams.

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Emma Wassell says she was "really proud" to represent Scotland again after she completed her test return for the first time since having a benign tumour removed.

The 30-year-old described her return to national team action as a "whirlwind journey", adding that everything in her 15-month recovery was focused on pulling on a Scotland shirt once again.

Four hundred and fifty-four days after her last appearance, the 67-time capped second row made her return in the side's 34-29 defeat to Italy.

"I'm just incredibly grateful," she said.

"People have supported me that I didn't even realise they were following the absolute crazy whirlwind journey that this has been.

"I have kind of lived and breathed this team, playing for this country, ever since I stopped playing.

"[Since] my last opportunity in the shirt, everything has kind of been about getting back in the shirt.

"I am really proud to be able to represent Scotland again and represent the people who have kind of supported me through these last 15 months."

Scotland were beaten 34-29 by Italy on Friday in their first World Cup warm-up match as their difficult preparations for the tournament continued.

With uncertainty surrounding player contracts and head coach Bryan Easson leaving his role after the World Cup, what do you make of the current state of women's rugby in Scotland?

Do you think there is any chance of success on the field amid such disruption?

Send us your thoughts.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Scotland head coach Bryan Easson is delighted to be able to recall "world class" Emma Wassell - but he says her World Cup place is not guaranteed.

Easson says Wassell's selection for his final squad for next month's tournament will be based on performance rather than sentimentality.

Wassell, who is in the Scotland team to face Italy this weekend, will represent her country for the first time since missing the entire 2024-25 season after undergoing surgery to remove a tumour from her chest.

Easson says while the return of Wassell, capped 67 times by Scotland, is a huge boost to the squad, she will receive no special treatment.

"Wass knows that herself because she's been out for a while," Easson said. "But if she gets anywhere near the levels she's been at before, she's a world-class set-piece operator.

"She's physical, she gives us go forward in attack, but she's also really physical defensively.

"But as we know, she's been out a while, so it's back to evidence. We need evidence to see what she's like in a more pressurised environment. In pre-season she's thrown herself about, she's ready to go.

"She's really impressed everybody, but we make it very clear to everyone that selection is performance-based.

"I believe it's one of the reasons why the team has grown. It's not about being in here and expecting a jersey, it's about fighting for that jersey.

"So Wass is the same, and everybody that puts a jersey on knows they want to put in a performance that is worthy of selection for the next game."

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Scotland's opening Summer Test match against Italy on Friday - part of their preparations for next month's women's Rugby World Cup - will be shown live on BBC Alba and BBC iPlayer.

Bryan Easson's side travel to the Stadio Luigi Zaffanella in Viadana on Friday, 25 July (kick-off 18:30 BST) before taking on Ireland at Virgin Media Park in Cork (Saturday, 2 August ) as they ramp up for their World Cup opener against Wales on 23 August.

Easson, who announced earlier this week he would be leaving his role as head coach at the end of the upcoming tournament, says these games will be "crucial in sharpening our focus" for the World Cup.

"Playing two high-quality teams, who pushed us hard during the Six Nations, away from home presents exactly the kind of competitive challenge we need at this stage," he added.

"It's a fantastic opportunity to put our systems under pressure and continue building cohesion within the squad. Every minute we spend together in this pre-season phase is invaluable."

Coverage will begin ten minutes before kick-off at 18:20, with former Scotland scrum-half Rachel Law joining Iona Whyte on commentary.

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"Gutted" Darcy Graham has confirmed his British and Irish Lions involvement has been brought to an abrupt end by the ankle injury he sustained just 17 minutes into his debut against the First Nations and Pasifika XV.

The Scotland winger was a late call-up to Andy Farrell's squad and stated on Monday his plans to "stay until the end" and work for a Test cap after being named as a starter on Tuesday.

His case was strengthened with an early try on his debut in Melbourne, where he showcased his burst of speed, but just minutes after crossing the white line, the Edinburgh wing exited the field in tears.

By full-time, he was sporting a medical boot.

Graham has now taken to social media to confirm his - and many fans' - fears that the ligament damage has ruled him out of the remainder of the tour.

The 28-year-old said it was "16 minutes he'll never forget" and that he will "try again in four years time".

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"There's nothing worse than leaving a tour midway through it."

Former Scotland centre Scott Hastings knows how it feels to have a British and Irish Lions tour cut short by injury.

A serious facial injury ended the 60-year-old's tour back in 1993, and he watched countryman Darcy Graham go through the same pain on Tuesday.

The Scotland winger scored an early try on his Lions debut in the win over First Nations and Pasifika, but he went off injured not long after and looked emotional as he left the field and has now confirmed his tour is over.

Reacting to that blow, and reflecting on his own experience, Hastings told BBC Scotland: "It looked as though he'd really done his ankle ligaments badly and I think he knew he was resigned to leaving the tour.

"It's what happened to me in 1993, I broke my cheekbone, double hairline fracture on my jaw.

"There's nothing worse than leaving a tour midway through it. You want to represent the best. He got his chance, he scored a try, and now he'll be absolutely gutted."

On the performances of Graham's Scotland team-mates in the 24-19 victory, Hastings added: "On a positive note, Blair Kinghorn played reasonably well and Gregor Brown came off the bench to win a Lions badge of honour.

"It was great to see Duhan van der Merwe score a try as well. The Scots have done pretty well on this tour and Scott Cummings had a great game in the second row.

"He may well force himself into that matchday 23 for the second Test match."

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Glasgow Warriors will face English champions Bath in a pre-season game at The Rec on 6 September (15:00 BST).

Bath, whose team includes Scotland and Lions superstar Finn Russell, last season won their first league title since 1996 to complete a historic treble after also lifting the Premiership Rugby Cup and European Challenge Cup.

Glasgow head coach Franco Smith said: "We look forward to visiting The Rec in September to open our pre-season campaign as we face a Bath squad whose qualities are well known across European rugby.

"The success they earned in 2024/25 showcased their physicality in both attack and defence as well as their ability to cause problems for any side from any area of the field."

Smith's side face another English side - Northampton Saints - in a friendly at Scotstoun on 12 September and begin the new URC season at home to Sharks 14 days later.