When is it WXV Global Series first the furnishing was arranged, Scotland would be happy to secure matches against Canada and New Zealand first at home.
After all, the sides are ranked number three and number two in the world at the time of writing, will bring the crowds to Edinburgh’s Hive Stadium, with Canada last in Scotland in 2018 and the Black Ferns never having played in the country.
Both games are sure to be days of glamor and big opportunities for women’s rugby in Scotland, that’s for sure, but fast-forward a few months since the fixtures were announced and the Scots could wish for a slightly less taxing start to their five-match schedule in September and October.
Including a pool loss to Canada and a loss in the quarterfinals England at last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, world number seven, Scotland have won just one match in their last seven after a frustrating one Guinness Women’s win Six Nations campaign before 2026.
A host of injuries played their part in the Women’s Six Nations, but despite this, a number of other ingredients were missing from the women’s side Rugby World Cup a few months before, perhaps mostly persistence, organization and, most importantly, trust in the coach’s game plan.
Since then head coach Sione Fukofuka has left after just eight months in charge, while his senior assistant coach Ioan Cunningham is also absent and Claire Cruikshank, who was part of the coaching team during April and May, now has her hands full with other roles in Scottish rugby.
Dave Butcher is the only coach left from that period and he is now interim head coach, supported by assistant coaches Chris Laidlaw, Tom Luke and Robbie Ferguson during this period.
The new age of Scotland which began under Fukuoka and was to last until Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 in Australia it can do anything but postpone.
A new era begins now and for Butcher and co the next two months – when Scotland play the Wallaroos once at home and then twice away to complete their run of WXV Global Series games after Canada and New Zealand – is the sole focus.
They can’t look beyond that at the moment, with five tough Test matches soon to come thick and fast from a side bruised by the struggles of the Women’s Six Nations and Fukofuka’s departure.
Recent pattern
As mentioned, it’s been a difficult spell with just one win in seven Tests and one win in this calendar year to date away from home Wales in the first round of the Women’s Six Nations.
Things just didn’t seem to add up during the Women’s Six Nations except partly against Wales and partly against France when a four-try bonus point was secured, but this Scotland team didn’t turn bad overnight, far from it.
Two years ago after the victory Fiji they jumped to a record number five in the world and last year at the Women’s Rugby World Cup they put in one of the best performances seen in recent memory to beat Wales with a bonus point in their opening game of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
A few weeks later, the team also battled Canada for much of the match before eventually being beaten by the Women’s Rugby World Cup runners-up.
This team knows they have it in them – and the quality within the playing group – to once again reach the heights they have shown in all those instances – and what better time to do it than now.
The biggest tests
All five games will be a big test for Scotland given how 2026 has gone so far and the caliber of opposition they will have.
But as many players on the team said during recent press interviews — after the interim head coach hammered home the message on the first day of training camp a few weeks ago — “to be the best, you have to play the best.”
Scotland are certainly looking forward to playing Canada again on September 12 at the Hive after a good run at the Women’s Rugby World Cup last year.
That match in Exeter ended 40-19 to Canada, but it was a tougher game than it sounds and this will be the ninth time the two countries have met, Scotland won the first in 1994 at the Women’s Rugby World Cup at Meggetland in Edinburgh, and Canada have won all seven since.
In addition, Dave Butcher was previously the Canadian forwards coach, so he will be eager to go up against old friend Kévin Rouet who is Canada’s head coach.
Scotland and New Zealand have only ever met four times at Test level before, with New Zealand winning all of them, including matches at the 1998, 2006 and 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cups.
The final game of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021, played in 2022, was played in Whangarei and the Black Ferns won 57-0, so the September 19 clash at the Hive could be the Scots’ toughest of the autumn.
Then there are three games against world number nine Australia at the Hive on September 26, then Sydney on October 17 and Canberra on October 23.
Like New Zealand, Australia have never played a Test in Scotland, with the four previous meetings being in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Whangarei and Cape Town.
The first three of these were at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 1998, 2002 and 2021, and the last WXV 2 decider in 2024. Australia have won all four of the previous contests, the last two of which were tight and are no doubt still fresh in the minds of the Scottish players still playing who were involved in them.
Star Players
Scotland will be delighted to have Evie Gallagher back at No.8. She missed the entire women’s Six Nations due to injury, and was also missed by Scotland. She is strong in attack, a leader in defense and never shying away from a challenge, and the team will need the Bristol Bear’s attitude and work in abundance over the next two months.
During the Women’s Rugby World Cup last year, Leia Brebner-Holden took Scotland’s number nine jersey as her crest and hasn’t let it go since. When passing, free-flowing and generally causing havoc is at its best, then Scotland are at their best. We haven’t seen too much attacking fluidity from the Scots during the Women’s Six Nations, but hopefully Brebner-Holden, working with Tom Luke and Robbie Ferguson, will force them to stretch the defense again.
One big plus point of the Women’s Six Nations was the return of Meryl Smith to the number 12 jersey after a long-term injury. When she’s on, the playmaker makes things look effortless and she also gives Scotland another kicking option alongside Helen Nelson at 10. She will enjoy playing some of the best teams in the world.
Rachel Malcolm, the talismanic skipper, is also back on form after missing the Women’s Six Nations final, and the back rower will, as always, lead by example.
Prediction
This new era – or a mini new era during September and October as we call it – promises to be fascinating, difficult all right, but fascinating.
From where Scotland were in terms of performance level at the end of the Women’s Six Nations, they are likely to rise under Butcher. They will struggle to rise fast enough to overcome quality sides like Canada and New Zealand during the first and second games of the WXV Global Series, but if the Scots can show themselves well as a team and set a marker, then they will surely aim for a home win over Australia in game three.
If they can do that, then they can aim for at least one away win from under in games four and five.
As always, the next game is the most important and if Scotland can set their standards and produce their best performance of 2026 so far in the first match against Canada – even if they don’t win – then they can build some momentum from there.
They are also desperate to rediscover the Scottish DNA and the Scottish way that saw them build something very special and give them great results between 2023 and 2025.