Gary Heatly in Exeter
Scotland head coach Bryan Easson says a win against world number two side Canada on Saturday “would probably be the biggest one” so far of his time in charge.
Easson was appointed to the Scotland women’s head coach role full-time in December 2020 after leading the team as interim head coach since August that year.
They have won 21, lost 24 and drawn one game so far in that period with highs being the WXV 2 title win in 2023 and the record breaking seven wins in a row during 2023 and 2024.
More recent highs have been the Women’s Rugby World Cup Pool B bonus points wins over Wales and Fiji. He will be stepping down after the tournament.
They are currently second in the pool behind Canada, who have also made it to the knock-out stages, and who tops the section after three games will be decided when the two teams meet in Exeter at Sandy Park.
Second in the world Canada will be favourites in that one, but if sixth in the world Scotland can cause an upset then they would likely avoid tournament favourites England in the last eight and would play Australia or USA.
Scotland’s quarter-final will be in Bristol on either September 13 or 14, but for now Canada are the focus (noon, live on BBC Two).
“Confidence is high going into this one, I think because of recent performances,” Easson said.
“The group itself, they’re a bubbly group and they continue to be like that. The environment, the culture is brilliant.
“Obviously to win a game like this against Canada would really be a peak. I think it would probably be the biggest one ever for us, but we’re well aware of the task ahead.
“Nothing has changed in how we prepare. We’ve prepared this team like we prepared for Wales and Fiji. We’ve got a huge amount of respect for Canada, they’re second in the world for a reason.
“So, we have prepared accordingly knowing that this is going to be a real physical test for us. They have probably one of the best scrums in the world, their set piece is exceptional, but they’ve got a lot of other threats as well.
“We’ve prepared probably with a little bit less training than we’ve had in previous weeks as well.
“We’ve rightly, I think, picked a consistent side, but we have to make sure that the bodies are fresh and that we are clear on how we want to play.
“So, there’s been more around clarity than physicality this week.”
“We’ve progressed to sixth in the world and we’ve been at fifth. And that doesn’t happen by accident. That doesn’t happen overnight. There’s been a lot of work with this group.
“And it’s taken time to get here, but I think we are backing up our performances now. I think we spoke last week around having one performance and then not being able to back it up – now we have backed them up.
“But to back them up against the second best team in the world would really show us exactly where we are.
“We’ve got a lot of bravery within this group, but there’s belief in this group as well.”
Scotland squad to play Canada: Chloe Rollie; Rhona Lloyd, Emma Orr, Lisa Thomson, Francesca McGhie; Helen Nelson, Leia Brebner-Holden; Leah Bartlett, Lana Skeldon, Lisa Cockburn, Emma Wassell, Sarah Bonar, Rachel Malcolm (C), Rachel McLachlan, Evie Gallagher. Subs: Elis Martin, Anne Young, Molly Poolman, Jade Konkel, Eva Donaldson, Alex Stewart, Caity Mattinson, Evie Wills.
The Canada matchday 23 is here.
Bryan Easson is pictured at Friday’s captain’s run – thanks to Ruby Adam Photography
From August 7 until September 30, GH Media will be following the Scotland World Cup journey all of the way. We will be at all of the Scotland matches down south and will be bringing you all of the interviews and news from camp as well as taking a wider look at the tournament as a whole and its impact on the women’s game. Thanks to Quirky Chocolate and other supporters for allowing this content to happen and to readers for engaging with it.