Former Wales coach Ioan Cunningham lands new job with Scotland

Scotland Women’s coaching group has been further bolstered with the addition of former Wales and Fiji head coach, Ioan Cunningham.

The appointment of Cunningham follows the unveiling in December of Sione Fukofuka as the new Scotland Women head coach, having previously led the US Women’s Eagles.

Cunningham takes on a newly created senior assistant coach position, the 42-year-old bringing a wealth of experience to the role, having overseen 30 matches in charge of Wales Women before moving to Fiji in 2025 in time for the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Previously, he was part of the Scarlets’ Pro 12-winning coaching group, as forwards coach, and was head coach of the Wales U20s men’s team.

Fukofuka and Cunningham will work with a contracted group of players as part of a new centralised high-performance programme based at Oriam in Edinburgh.

Speaking on his appointment, which takes effect this week, Cunningham said: “I am really honoured and excited to have the opportunity to work with Scottish Rugby, especially working with the Scotland senior women’s team.

“I’m really looking forward to working with such talented players and staff, adding to the continued growth and development of women’s rugby in Scotland.

“I have a personal connection to Scotland as my grandfather was from Kilmarnock, which makes having this opportunity a proud moment for me and my family.”

Scottish Rugby’s Performance Director, David Nucifora added: “Ioan brings significant experience from high-performance women’s rugby, alongside strong technical expertise and an understanding of what is required to deliver at international level.

“He has also worked across the men’s professional game and with international age-grade teams which, through the senior assistant coach role, will help Sione lead a strong coaching group that will invest in both developing our player pool and driving the Scotland Women team to reach their full potential.”