As he heads into his first full season in post, Scotland head coach Sione Fukofuka is looking forward to having more of the players who will likely be in contention for national team selection in 2026/27 based north of the border.
An increased number of 47 female players will be contracted for the upcoming campaign by Scottish Rugby as part of a revised contracting model in alignment with the new women’s performance and pathways system.
Thirty-five of those are aligned to Edinburgh Rugby (17) and Glasgow Warriors (18) and it means that Fukofuka and his coaching team will have more time on task with a number of players moving forward.
That will be vital after the recent Six Nations campaign – albeit an injury ravaged one – garnered just one win following Fukofuka taking up his post heading into 2026.
In September the national team will play versus Canada, New Zealand and Australia in the WXV Global Series and then will face another Six Nations next April and May.
“This model brings a clearer alignment between our domestic system and international programme which is essential as we build towards the 2029 Rugby World Cup,” the head coach said.
“It’s a real positive to have more players training and playing in Scotland within a consistent high performance environment while still recognising the value that some gain from competing in the PWR in England and in the top flight in France.
“What is integral to the model is the quality and depth we’re developing across the programme.
“Having more of our international players based in Scotland also creates greater opportunities for shared learning, stronger connections across the squad and a more cohesive approach led by me and the coaching staff that can directly support success at national team level.
“We have experienced internationals training and competing alongside against developing players in the Scotland pathway system, consistently challenging and pushing standards from within the high performance daily training environments. This will be a key component to how we grow and perform over the coming years.”
Non-Scotland Based Supported Players
Leah Bartlett – Sale Sharks
Sarah Bonar – Harlequins
Evie Gallagher – Bristol Bears
Rhona Lloyd – Sale Sharks
Rachel Malcolm – Trailfinders Women
Francesca McGhie – Trailfinders Women
Rachel McLachlan – Montpellier
Helen Nelson – TBC
Lana Skeldon – Bristol Bears
Meryl Smith – Bristol Bears
Lisa Thomson – Trailfinders Women
Emma Wassell – Trailfinders Women
Players Supported in Scotland
Gemma Bell – Glasgow Warriors
Leia Brebner-Holden – Edinburgh Rugby
Holland Bogan – Glasgow Warriors
Becky Boyd – Glasgow Warriors
Elliann Clarke – Glasgow Warriors
Rhea Clarke – Glasgow Warriors
Emily Coubrough – Edinburgh Rugby
Rianna Darroch – Glasgow Warriors
Nicole Flynn – Glasgow Warriors
Coreen Grant – Edinburgh Rugby
Merryn Gunderson – Edinburgh Rugby
Elis Martin – Edinburgh Rugby
Fi McIntosh – Glasgow Warriors
Holly McIntyre – Glasgow Warriors
Emma Orr – Edinburgh Rugby
Rachel Philipps – Edinburgh Rugby
Molly Poolman – Edinburgh Rugby
Hannah Ramsay – Edinburgh Rugby
Chloe Rollie – Edinburgh Rugby
Aila Ronald – Edinburgh Rugby
Lucia Scott – Glasgow Warriors
Alex Stewart – Edinburgh Rugby
Hannah Walker – Edinburgh Rugby
Evie Wills – Glasgow Warriors
Anne Young – Glasgow Warriors
Academy Contracted Players
Ceitidh Ainsworth – Glasgow Warriors
Poppy Fletcher – Glasgow Warriors
Megan Hyland – Glasgow Warriors
Bethan Mathieson – Edinburgh Rugby
Poppy Mellanby – Glasgow Warriors
Cat Moody – Edinburgh Rugby
Imogen Spence – Glasgow Warriors
Aicha Sutcliffe – Glasgow Warriors
Faye Sutherland – Edinburgh Rugby
Talei Tawake – Edinburgh Rugby
Sione Fukofuka is pictured – thanks to N50 Photography
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