Bryan Easson reflects on Scotland's last World Cup and what's different now

The last few weeks haven’t exactly been plain sailing for Scotland.

Unresolved player contracts, discussions over which are expected to resume in September and the announcement that Bryan Easson’s tenure as head coach is about to come to an end is hardly the sort of noise the women’s squad needed in the middle of its preparations for the Rugby World Cup.

To what extent these recent stories have affected the wider squad is unclear. Rachel Malcolm has not been shy in expressing her frustration at the ‘disruption’ among the group which has made her job as captain ‘harder’.

But if there is one attribute of this current Scotland squad, it’s their ability to surprise. Even when it seems that all is lost.

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

“We didn’t perform to the level that we wanted to perform in the last World Cup in New Zealand, and ever since then we’ve wanted to put on a show that befits this team,” said Easson.

“It’s about putting in the hard work and the effort and performance that you need to show at a World Cup. The big difference for us is that three years ago was our first World Cup in 12 years and I think there was a big thing of us just getting there and probably enjoyed the occasion more than actually performing.

“There’s a lot more experience in the squad now, there’s a lot more understanding of what a World Cup is; it’s the biggest platform there is for all of these players, everybody wants to play in a World Cup and there’s an opportunity every four years and we want to show what we’re all about.”

Having ended the 2021 season with three wins out of four – including two World Cup qualifiers against Ireland and Spain – Scotland suffered a whitewash in the following year’s Six Nations before going on to lose all three of their World Cup pool matches.

Indeed, the losing streak stretched to 12 after the opening three rounds of the 2023 Six Nations, leading some to question whether the Scots had really turned the corner.

What followed was a remarkable surge in form: two wins at home to finish the campaign, and unbeaten run en route to the WXV2 title in South Africa which was then backed up with a second-place finish in 2024 behind Australia and a pair of rare away Six Nations wins against Wales and Italy.

Despite an up-and-down 2025 Six Nations, there’s now an aura about this Scotland women’s side that, far from being content with spirited defeats, are now no longer accepting these losses.

“The balance in the squad also helps us,” Easson explains. “We’ve got a lot of youngsters coming in and their win rate is a lot higher now than it would have been three years ago. So, some of these players are used to winning and they see a loss as a really difficult thing to accept, and that’s a good thing.

“We’ve had 14 wins out of 23 matches [since April 2023] and about a 60%-win rate, so we’ve got to use that and allow the senior players to show the youngsters what it’s like to play at a World Cup, and likewise it’s up to the youngsters to show their excitement of going to the World Cup as well.

“I think we’re in a good spot and there is a good blend of youth and maturity.”

Part of that blend of youth and maturity has come in the form of an expanded player pool in the women’s game in Scotland. Mirroring its male counterparts, both Glasgow and Edinburgh can now tap into burgeoning talent through franchise setups that compete in the Celtic Challenge, while the British University and Colleges Sport (BUCS) clubs continue to provide top-level competition across the United Kingdom.

The widening of the pool has allowed players like Edinburgh fly-half Hannah Ramsay to break into the national squad; having made her debut off the bench in the narrow defeat to Italy in July, Ramsay got the nod for her first start at 10 for Scotland’s 27-21 loss in the final World Cup warm-up match against Ireland in Cork.

The influx of youth integrating the squad can only be seen as a good thing for the Scottish setup, not only through the creation of adequate pathways to expand the game, but also in pushing the established players to a higher level.

“Playing in the BUCS league has been a big help for me and my game,” Ramsay says. “Playing a lot of different teams and players down in England has really developed my game, and it’s been really helpful to spend time with other players as well.

“I made a good relationship with Mia Clarke, who was my nine throughout Celtic Challenge, the same with Lucy McRae, Nicole Flynn, that’s been essential to my progression into the national squad.

“The biggest learning curve for me has been the detail; there’s a lot more detail than in club rugby but Nellie [Helen Nelson] and Thommo [Lisa Thompson] just make it look so easy, so it’s up to me to be able to get that level of calmness on the pitch.”

Scotland have had some dark, dark days over the years and, while they are not completely out of the woods just yet, there is little doubt that the Easson era has brought a degree of optimism around this squad that has seldom been seen over the last 20 years.

The spectre of player contracts still looms large on the horizon, as does the need to scope a suitable successor to Easson. Scottish Rugby has its fair share of housekeeping to do but, before that, Easson and his squad have to ensure they deliver a performance on the world stage that matches their increasingly lofty aspirations.

“A lot of people talk about pressure being a privilege and to go a World Cup is a privilege; the girls need to use this pressure in a good way and to their advantage,” says Easson. “They are excited for the most part.

“We’re now seventh in the world, we were fifth so teams will look at us, they have a challenge playing us and we need to make sure that we are up to the task and ready for that challenge.

“There is probably more pressure on us because there is an expectation that we should be winning games, which is a good thing, and it shows where we’ve come from. But, at the same time, we don’t want to stand still and that’s what we want to show at the World Cup, that we have made progress and that we’re continuing to make progress on the biggest stage.”

Which Scotland players made our Top 50 Women’s list ahead of the Rugby World Cup? View list here.