Why new coach Sione Fukofuka can take Scotland “to the next level”

New Scotland women’s head coach Sione Fukofuka and his staff can “accelerate” the national team’s progress and take them “to the next level”.

That is the view of Scottish Rugby’s managing director of women’s rugby Gemma Fay with the Guinness Women’s Six Nations now just over two months away.

Under previous head coach Bryan Easson, who left his post after last year’s Rugby World Cup, the Scots won 21, lost 24 and drew one between 2020 and 2025 with highs being the WXV 2 title win in 2023 and the record breaking seven wins in a row during 2023 and 2024.

They also reached a record high of fifth in the world in September 2024 and made it to the World Cup last eight a few months back.

Now, with the team currently sixth in the world rankings, Australian Fukofuka is the man who has been tasked with helping the Scots kick on even further in the next few years leading up to the 2029 World Cup in his homeland.

The former USA women’s head coach was appointed in December and took up the reins officially last month when he had a look at over 60 players in Edinburgh during the first training camp on his watch.

“We looked at what was the thing that was required to take where this team had got to and then accelerate it again and I think there’s a number of aspects in terms of Sione as a coach that meant he was the right fit,” Fay, who moved from her previous role with Scottish Rugby as head of women and girls’ strategy to the newly created women’s MD role in October, said.

“His leadership will be important to take us to that next level and there were a number of pieces that just fitted in terms of him coming in at this point.

“Sione’s appointment is key to the next step in the development of the national team. It is an exciting year with the new global calendar set to begin which will give our international players a higher level of consistent opposition throughout the season.

“Ioan Cunningham has also come in as senior assistant coach to work with Sione and he has got massive experience both in the male game and within the women’s game.

“I think what we wanted to create was a coaching team that’s packed full of experience that could really drive and test and push and pull our players to give them the best opportunity to be the best that they can be.

“Andy Rhys Jones is our new head of women’s performance and pathways and, as we grow as a nation in the women’s rugby space, relationships with the players are always important.

“The ability to build relationships is one of the key things that that we looked for in a head of performance and pathways and I’m safe to say that Andy’s pretty good at that.”

Another national team assistant coach is set to be named soon to support Fukofuka and Cunningham going forward and while these appointments – along with those of Fay and Rhys Jones – are positive, there is still a bit of a hangover from the players’ contracting issue that would not go away during the World Cup and also around the fact that some people wanted Easson to stay on.

A new player contracting model is in place for the 2025/26 season and Easson is now busy heading up things with Netherlands men, but Fukofuka and co will be aware that they will have to hit the ground running away to Wales on April 11th and during the rest of the Six Nations.

When asked about Fukofuka coming into post following on from someone who many deemed a success, Fay said: “There’s always pressure on coaches isn’t there?

“I mean in terms of pressure I think every coach in a performance programme is under pressure and that’s their job to perform under pressure.

“Sione has his targets around the Six Nations of course he does – every coach will have targets around the Six Nations – and we will all support him to achieve those.”

Fay was speaking at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on Monday after it was confirmed that the upcoming home match versus England on April 18th will attract the largest crowd ever recorded for a standalone women’s sporting event in Scotland.

With more than 19,000 tickets sold, the attendance for the round two fixture in the Six Nations at Murrayfield will eclipse the long-standing national benchmark of 18,555 set by Scotland women’s football team at Hampden against Jamaica in 2019. Murrayfield holds 67,144.

In 2024 a sold-out crowd of 7,774 at Hive Stadium watched Scotland face England, setting a then-record attendance for the national women’s rugby team.

“I think that’s what excites us most is that about three quarters of the ticket purchases for the upcoming England game are from Scottish supporters,” Fay, the former Scotland football goalkeeper, enthused.

“For me that is really exciting in terms of who’s going to be there on the day, but also long-term it has to be our aspiration that we bring regular fixtures into Murrayfield for the women’s team.

“Over 19,000 fans have already shown that there’s an absolute appetite for women’s sport and for women’s rugby in Scotland.

“I think our players have shown what they’re capable of and this is the kind of arena that we should be showcasing them on when we can.

“I think if we can fill the lower bowl and get up to 30,000 by game day that would be really special.”