Former Scotland cap Louise Dalgliesh says she is “hugely proud” to have been named Edinburgh Rugby’s women’s head coach.
Dalgliesh joins from Edinburgh University where she has served as head of performance for women’s rugby.
She takes over the Edinburgh reins from Claire Cruickshank who was recently appointed as Scottish Rugby’s women’s national academy manager.
Dalgliesh won 67 caps for Scotland and represented her country at the 2006 and 2010 Rugby World Cups, establishing herself as a respected figure on the field long before moving into coaching.
Following her playing career, she has coached with the Japan national team, Sale Sharks and Scotland age-grade teams.
Dalgliesh, who is originally from Hawick and was a scrum-half when she played, said: “This is a role I’m hugely proud to be stepping into.
“I’ve absolutely loved my time at Edinburgh University and taking on this position feels like a natural next step.
“I’ve been part of this city’s rugby fabric for a long time, in one way or another, and I already know so many of these players from BUCS [university rugby] and the national pathway.
“That gives me a real head start, but it also makes this exciting for a different reason as I get to keep building with players I’ve already seen grow.
“Women’s rugby is on the rise and Edinburgh Rugby are right at the front of that push. I can’t wait to get started.”
Edinburgh Rugby managing director Douglas Struth said: “We’re really excited to appoint Louise.
“She brings a huge amount of experience and she’s the right person to lead our women’s programme into this new era.
“This is a squad bursting with talent, young, up-and-coming players standing shoulder to shoulder with internationalists, and with attendances climbing at Hive Stadium, you can see for yourself that women’s rugby is very much on the rise in the Scottish capital.
“We’re hugely thankful to our partners at Edinburgh University for their support in this transition and we can’t wait to welcome Louise to the club.”
Recently former Scotland Sevens men’s player Robbie Fergusson was named the Glasgow Warriors women’s head coach. The Celtic Challenge fixtures for 2026/27 are yet to be released.
Louise Dalgliesh is pictured – thanks to Edinburgh Rugby
It is shaping up to be an exciting 2026/27 season for women’s rugby in Scotland and GH Media will be covering it in detail – if any companies are keen to support this content please send an email to gary@gh-media.co.uk