With Bryan Easson leaving his role, Scottish Rugby has started its “global search” for the next head coach of the Scotland women’s national team.
The news that Easson was stepping down post-Women’s Rugby World Cup was announced in July and caught many off guard.
He was appointed to the role full-time in December 2020 after leading the team as interim head coach from August that year.
The team won 21, lost 26 and drew one during Easson’s interim/full-time period in charge with his last game being the World Cup last eight loss to England on September 14 in Bristol.
Given that 21 wins and a draw came in 48 matches in five years under him and it had taken Scotland from 2006 to early in 2020 to win and draw the same amount of games previously, many would say his tenure was a roaring success.
Highs have included winning the WXV 2 title in 2023, reaching two World Cups, the record breaking seven wins in a row during 2023 and 2024 and reaching an all-time high of five in the world rankings in September last year.
As a result, some would have preferred him to stay on post-event and build on this run to the knock-out stages with the current sixth best team in the world while others, including the Scottish Rugby hierarchy it would seem, feel it is time for a new voice. We have been told that it was Easson’s own decision to step down.
With Easson’s trusty defence coach Tyrone Holmes also set to leave and fellow assistants Steve Shingler and Ross Miller only having been on short-term deals to cover the World Cup period, the whole coaching set up is set to change.
And, a few days ago, Scottish Rugby posted a job advert on the governing body’s official LinkedIn page in a bid to find Easson’s successor.
The post reads…
Scottish Rugby has started its global search for the new Head Coach of the Scotland Women National Team.
To support its international activity Scottish Rugby is also inviting notes of interest for the position.
We are seeking an experienced, innovative and inspirational coach to lead the Scotland Women’s national programme, continuing the team’s development on the international stage, and building on recent progress towards the 2029 Rugby World Cup.
The successful candidate will:
- Provide strategic and technical leadership to the national playing squad and staff.
- Create a high-performance environment that maximises team and player potential.
- Contribute to the long-term growth of the women’s game in Scotland by working within the high-performance system to connect the national programs to the national team.
If you have a proven track record in high-performance coaching, outstanding leadership skills, and the passion to drive Scotland Women to future success, we would be delighted to connect with you.
Notes of interest are to be submitted by October 3 and it will be interesting to see what happens next. As it stands, Scotland’s next Test match is set to be away to Wales on April 11 as the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations get underway.
Scotland are pictured playing England in Bryan Easson’s last game at the helm – 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.