Scottish Rugby

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Captain Rachel Malcolm says Scotland will have to be ruthless in converting their chances if they are to spring an upset against Canada in the Women's Rugby World Cup.

Both sides have already secured passage to the quarter-finals, with Saturday's meeting in Exeter deciding who tops Pool B.

Ranked second in the world, Canada are big favourites, but Malcolm says the Scots believe they can pull off a shock and are capable of improving on the stunning performance when they destroyed Wales 38-8 in their tournament opener.

"Something that we've highlighted is that teams that play Canada don't tend to get that many opportunities to score," Malcolm said.

"That clinical nature of the Wales performance was good, but it's going to have to be better to take the opportunities because we probably won't get quite as many as we had that game.

"To do that there's areas of our game around the breakdown and the set-piece that we need to be sharper on.

"There's definitely ways that we can improve that performance and this is just another opportunity to take a step forward in that direction."

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We asked for your thoughts after Franco Smith signed a contract extension to stay as Glasgow Warriors head coach until 2028.

Here's what you had to say:

Colin: Great news, there's a lot for Glasgow to play for and Franco is the best man for the job. This'll give the Warriors confidence going into the new season, Franco's name being linked with high profile jobs last season I feel has played a part in the team's performance but with this settled I think we're in for a good season.

Doug: Delighted to see Franco staying on, I think he's brought a real edge to the group and made some very shrewd signings in addition to backing young players. Hopefully he can continue getting the best from the group despite losing a few important players at the end of last season.

Paul: It been some 24 hours in Scottish rugby. Glad to have Smith stay on, and it feels like a succession plan is now in place for the post-Gregor Townsend era. Smith isn't the perfect coach, but who is? His development of players and an exciting Glasgow team with a winning mentality has been a joy, and I'm looking forward to two more years.

Barry: Undoubtedly fantastic news for the club. Well respected coach in world rugby. Players have all bought in to what he wants to achieve. Happy days!

Ronald: This is fantastic news, I'm glad the SRU finally got their finger out and got this done. There's a lot of exciting young players coming through and they know they'll get a chance under Franco.

David: Glasgow Warriors have done well to secure Smith's services until 2028. He has brought success to Scotstoun and he can bring more! Good luck to him and the squad for the coming season!

Abigail: Great news. Franco has set such a high standard at Glasgow and I believe he will continue to prosper with the team. A little disappointing he won't have the chance to take the Scotland job while we have the majority of players in their prime (Finn Russell specifically) but for the Warriors it is only good news.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

Image source, SNS

Franco Smith puts his "heart and soul" into Glasgow Warriors and Scottish Rugby is thrilled to agree a new deal with him, says chief executive Alex Williamson.

Head coach Smith had voiced frustrations in the job towards the end of last season and there has been regular rumours linking him with a move away from Scotland.

There was also speculation his relationship with the powerful performance director, David Nucifora, was not ideal, something Williamson has now addressed.

"Franco and Sean (Everitt, the Edinburgh coach) for that matter are always going to press the edges of what they can and can't achieve within the framework of the high performance environment," said Williamson.

"David is there to keep that high performance framework absolutely intact and so I absolutely anticipate that they'll rub up against each other probably quite regularly because everyone wants the same but for slightly different reasons.

"Franco has to focus primarily on the success of Glasgow in the same way Sean does at Edinburgh and sometimes they may have short-term views which don't align to our long-term objectives. That's all right but that's why we've got David there."

In the aftermath of Glasgow's URC semi-final loss to Leinster at the end of last season, Smith became emotional and there was a suggestion at that point he might be moving on.

"The emotion at the end of last season was really understandable," said Williamson. "It was an incredibly disappointing experience (the end of the season). He puts his absolute heart and soul into Glasgow Warriors and for them to fall short in the way that they did…I have a huge amount of respect for him just releasing that."

Nucifora also said he was delighted that Smith remains in the system and addressed the rumoured difficulties between them.

"Look, I've worked with head coaches a long time and I've never met a head coach that doesn't want more, doesn't want extra," he said. "That's just normal practice and there's nothing unusual about that.

"We're building a system and Franco's endorsement by signing his contract extension says that he's excited about working as part of this system.

"We're here to support the two professional teams, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The system we're building is not about making anything harder for them. We're here to actually support and make it easier and better for them.

"This is all about working together and I believe that Franco's signature is an endorsement of all of that."

With Gregor Townsend almost certainly leaving his post after the World Cup in 2027, is Smith the obvious candidate to take over?

"We've got no clear plan mapped out," said Nucifora. "But what I will say is that we're really fortunate to have a coach of the calibre of Franco in the system for a year beyond the World Cup. So that's a positive."

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

Image source, SNS

Former Glasgow Warriors captain and current managing director, Al Kellock, has been appointed as Scottish Rugby's new head of performance pathways.

In a surprise move, Kellock has changed direction in his career as part of a new broom at Murrayfield.

On Wednesday, performance director David Nucifora and chief executive Alex Williamson announced the arrival of five new heads of department in a reimagined pathway system.

Alex Ross is the new head of athletic performance and sports science, joining from Miami Marlins in Major League Baseball where he was director of strength and conditioning.

He was previously involved with USA Rugby, New York Mets and the Argentina Rugby Union and had spells with the Jaguares, the Blues and New Zealand Rugby. He also played for the USA Sevens team for two years.

James Moore, who joins from basketball franchise Brooklyn Nets, is the new head of physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

He was previously head of performance services for Team GB at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and also had a four-year stint as performance director in Andy Murray's team.

Richard Chessor has become head of nutrition from his current role as head of science and medicine for GB Aquatics, while James McLaren becomes high-performance business analyst, joining from Ernst & Young where he held the position of senior consultant of AI and data.

It was Kellock's name that stood out, though. "Al went through the process," said Nucifora. "We had applicants from all around the world for that role. And he definitely won the role on merit. He performed extremely well.

"Al's got a really wide skill-set. He understands performance rugby. He's got that experience both as a player and as an administrator, so he understands those components of it really well.

"He's got a real interest in performance rugby, obviously. And he's seen this as an opportunity to be able to build his experience base further."

If Kellock shows up well in the position he would be in the box seat to take over from Nucifora as performance director.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

Image source, SNS

Scottish Rugby performance director has been speaking to the media after Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend signed a contract extension.

Here are the key points:

• Nucifora says the shake-up in the way the game is run at elite level will give Townsend a better chance for success in the Test arena.

• "He's a curious coach," he says of Townsend. "He wants to find ways to evolve both himself personally, but also to evolve the team. I think once you lose that drive and curiosity and search to improve, that's when you know head coaches have probably run their time and Gregor's definitely not in that space. He's as keen or keener than he's ever been."

• Nucifora is happy that Townsend and Franco Smith have signed on for more time with Scotland and Glasgow respectively and suggests there was outside interest in both of them. "If we're in a position where no one wanted our coaches, you'd be thinking, 'gee that's not great'."

• In giving Townsend a contract extension up to and including the 2027 World Cup he describes the Scotland coach as "world class" but says, in terms of results on the pitch, things can't just stay the same as they are. "People just race past you in this business."

• In a major overhaul of the way they do things, Al Kellock becomes the new head of performance pathways.

• On the creation of new high performance roles in physio/rehabilitation, nutrition, business analysis and athletic performance, Nucifora says: "We had applicants from all around the world looking for these roles, which is exactly what we wanted. We wanted to make sure we're bringing the best available talent into Scottish Rugby."

• He adds: "I've spoken before about the fact we want to ensure the people we've got in our system hold themselves and the people within it, the players, the staff, accountable, and that they drive a system that educates and improves both our players and our staff on a day-to-day basis."

• On Smith's unhappiness last season in losing important players, Nucifora says: "Look, I've worked with head coaches a long time and I've never met a head coach that doesn't want more, doesn't want extra. That's just normal practice and there's nothing unusual about that. We're building a system and Franco's endorsement by signing his contract extension says that he's excited about working as part of this system."

• He adds: "We're here to support the two professional teams, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The system we're building is not about making anything harder for them. We're here to actually support and make it easier and better for them. This is all about working together and I believe that Franco's signature is an endorsement of all of that."

We asked for your thoughts after Gregor Townsend signed a contract extension to stay as Scotland head coach until 2027.

Here's what you had to say:

Gus: Should have been sacked after the Japan World Cup - what a shambles that was. Had plenty of chances, he's not good at man management with a decent group of players.

Bill: A potential disaster for Scottish rugby. Flaky as a player and the same as a coach. The Autumn Tests will see Townsend fail yet again to properly utilise the best squad Scotland have had in years.

Stewart: It's absolutely the wrong call. The team is stagnating and Townsend's erratic team selection is a constant source of frustration. He should have gone after Japan and hasn't done enough to merit the previous contract never mind this. The SRU at its best.

Ali: I'm not surprised but I am frustrated. Imagine overseeing two dismal World Cups and then being given a shot at another. I don't think any other country in world rugby would do this. It might be understandable if we'd won a couple of Six Nations titles in the interim but we've not even come close. Another two years of, at best, mediocrity. I hope I am proven wrong.

Doug: I like Gregor and he's done pretty well with the squad inherited, but our tournament results have stagnated. I don't know if we have unrealistic expectations given our lack of player pool but I think a change would have been good to give another coach a chance. It seems like keeping Gregor was the easy option.

Mark: I see no need for change purely based on longevity. I've been to more Scotland Rugby games under Townsend's tenure than I had done in the previous 15 years. Why? Attractive, attacking brand of rugby to watch supported by the highest win-loss ratio of any Scotland head coach. Townsend himself comes across as progressive, adaptable and seems to be well regarded by the players including Finn Russell. While we might not win the World Cup isn't it great to be hugely competitive again after so many barren years? For all the Townsend bashers out there, be careful what you wish for!

George: Absolutely the right decision. Who else is available who matches his calibre? His flair is apparent in the squad's plays, backed by the power and strengths brought in by his backroom team - defence coach, strength and conditioning coaches etc.

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Gregor Townsend is "hugely motivated" to drive Scotland forward after extending his contract through to the 2027 World Cup.

The 52-year-old is Scotland's longest-serving head coach in the professional era and will have led the team for a decade by the end of his new deal.

After disappointments in both the 2019 and 2023 World Cups as Townsend's Scotland were eliminated in the pool stages, he is determined to "help the team perform to its potential" in the 2027 tournament in Australia.

"Being the Scotland head coach is a massive honour for me personally, a true privilege," Townsend said on the Scottish Rugby website.

"The opportunity to coach my country at another Rugby World Cup is exciting and I am hugely motivated to help the team perform to its potential.

"Over recent years I have been really encouraged by the progress the team has made and the depth we have built in a number of positions.

"The experiences from our summer tour and also the [British and Irish] Lions tour will add an extra layer to our group. Having 12 players out on the Lions tour was tremendous for Scottish rugby and the players.

"It is going to be an exciting build-up period to the World Cup with the potential of a new competition for our summer and autumn fixtures in 2026 as well as two Six Nations Championships for us to attack.

"And this November we have a cracking run of home fixtures, which will include celebrating the centenary of our national stadium when we take on New Zealand."

Image source, Getty Images

Franco Smith has signed a new contract with Glasgow Warriors, keeping him at the club until 2028.

Smith, 53, joined Glasgow as head coach in 2022 and has overseen a period of real success.

The Warriors reached the European Challenge Cup final in his first season in charge, losing out to Toulon, before winning the URC title in the following campaign, beating the Bulls in Pretoria.

The South African has been linked with moves away from Scotland off the back of such achievements, but has now committed his future to Glasgow.

"I'm incredibly proud and grateful to extend my journey with this club," Smith said.

"From day one, I've believed in the vision we share to build something special, to push our limits, and to grow together as a team and as a community.

"The players, the people, and the supporters have created an environment full of trust and ambition, and that inspires me every single day. There's still so much more we can achieve, and I'm excited to keep working hard to take this club to the next level."

Glasgow fans, what do you make of this news? Are you pleased to see Smith stay and do you think he can continue to build with the club?

Send us your thoughts.

Head coach Gregor Townsend will lead Scotland in the 2027 World Cup after signing a contract extension.

Townsend, who took charge in 2017, was reportedly a target for the director of rugby role at Newcastle Red Bulls this summer, but will instead continue in the national job and oversee a third World Cup campaign.

What do you make of Townsend staying as Scotland boss beyond next year? Is it the right decision by Scottish Rugby, or would you have preferred a change?

Share your views here.

We asked for your views as Scotland booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Women's Rugby World Cup for the first time since 2002 with a 29-15 victory over gritty Fiji.

Here what some of you had to say:

Mark: Another fantastic advert for Women's World Cup Rugby! Individual flare from Fiji was a joy to watch & seriously stretched Scotland's experience & resilience. Terrific achievement to reach quarter finals. Next match against Canada will provide a clearer picture re further hopes & aspirations!

Gus: Well done great achievement, hopefully they get there contracts sorted out

Douglas: Not the prettiest performance but definitely a thoroughly professional performance for the women. No pressing of the panic button at any stage. And also some wonderful tries too.

Abigail: Evie Gallagher - 36 tackles? Heroic. A tough task for the team, but they delivered. Well deserving of their place in the quarters.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Molly Wright says Scotland now have their sights set on beating Canada and topping Pool B after victory over Fiji secured a quarter-final berth in the Women's Rugby World Cup.

The Scots ran in five tries to see off a spirited Fiji side 29-15 in Salford on Saturday.

They now face Canada, ranked second in the world, in Exeter next weekend in a shootout for top spot in the pool.

After exiting at the pool stage at the last World Cup in 2021, Wright is thrilled to reach the knockout stages this time around.

"Three years too late, but we're here now, so really, really excited," the front row told BBC Scotland.

"We wanted to play our structure. We didn't want to get pulled into their chaos, and Fiji are so good at chaos.

"When they cause it, they run rampant and it's fun to watch. It's not so fun to watch when you're playing against it.

"But when we got our process right, it was effective. I think that's what got us through.

"The only way for us is up. Each week we want to get better.

"Canada will present a different challenge, but it will be a real test for us moving forward into the latter stages of the World Cup now.

"I think there's more pressure on them than there is on us, for sure, but we want to take it to them. We want to be top of the pool, and we're going to go after it."

Scotland booked a place in the quarter-finals of the Women's Rugby World Cup for the first time since 2002 with victory over gritty Fiji in Salford.

Read the full match report here

Have your say here.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Elis Martin says Scotland have prepared for an improved Fiji in their crucial Women's World Cup Pool B match on Saturday.

Should pool favourites Canada defeat Wales earlier in the day, the Scots will take to the field at the Salford Community Stadium knowing a win would guarantee a place in the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2002.

The sides last met in September 2024 when the Scots ran out 59-15 winners, but Martin warns Fiji are now a different proposition.

"We've obviously watched quite a few of their games and you can tell that they've been working on getting fitter, making sure that they are putting on a show," said Martin, who replaces Lana Skeldon at hooker in the only change to the side that beat Wales.

"Their game last week against Canada was a difficult scoreline [a 65-7 defeat], but at the end of the day, they still posed massive threats to Canada.

"They scored through them and they offloaded and got in behind them. And that's something that we're looking to stop at source and really shut down.

"So absolutely, they're better than they were before, but so are we, so we'll see what happens."