Scotland’s head coach, Bryan Easson, is determined for his team to make a significant impact on the global stage with a stronger showing at the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup.

As Easson prepares to depart from his position following the tournament, he aims for Scotland to recover from the setbacks of their previous World Cup run, where they lost all their pool matches in New Zealand.

The team is set to face Wales next weekend and enters the competition after defeats to Italy and Ireland. However, Easson is confident that his team is in a stronger position as they gear up for their initial match in England.

‘I think we have improved,’ Easson insisted.

“Over the past few years, we’ve been competitive. We now enter each game with the expectation to win. There’s a strong belief within the team and among each of us.”

“The squad includes some exceptional and world-class rugby players, and it’s our responsibility to ensure everyone is united in their efforts.”

‘Yes, we do want to make our mark on the world stage. It’s a World Cup, and we don’t want to just go and enjoy it and make up the numbers.’

Defeats to Wales, Australia and New Zealand at the previous iteration undoubtedly still rankles.

Leaving without a win was a serious blow — and Easson admits his side were well below-par in the matches they played out.

‘I’ll be honest, I was really frustrated after the last World Cup in New Zealand, because I didn’t think we were good enough.

“We’ve revamped our preparation approach this time. Previously, we possibly over-prepared, resulting in a sense of complacency upon arrival. Now, our focus is on the event itself. We’ve gained valuable insights and believe we’re in a solid position.”

Certainly, Scotland have gained a well of experience since their trip to the Southern Hemisphere. As well as a brief stint at No 5 in the world, they’ve taken home the WXV2 title in Canada, and had a run of seven wins on the trot in 2023 and 2024.

They now prepare for a stint against Wales, Fiji and Canada in Pool B, with a challenging opener against the Welsh — a side they beat 24-21 in this year’s Six Nations. That, however, could count for little on the day — as Wales continue to improve under head coach, Sean Lynn.

‘Scotland-Wales games are always difficult,’ admitted the Scotland coach.

‘These games have been tight over the last few years.

‘We know how physical Wales are. We know exactly what to expect. We’ve played against them I don’t know how many times recently.

‘We’ve played them before at WXV as well. We know each other inside out. The players play against each other, whether it be Celtic Challenge or PWR. So we know it’s going to be physical. We know it’s going to come down to 80 minutes.

‘The last World Cup game was 82 minutes. Six Nations games have been 78, 79, 80 minutes as well. The girls have worked really hard on the fitness.

‘You saw it from the game against Italy. We finished off really well. We saw the game against Ireland and we started really well.

‘I feel we’re in a good space. We are well prepared and we just want to go now.’

According to Easson, the arrival of attack coach Steve Shingler is already making an impact. The former player came in to Scottish Rugby in June, on secondment from PWR side Ealing Trailfinders Women, and Easson says the ex-Scarlets, London Irish, Cardiff, Mont-de-Marsan and Trailfinders man has impressed so far in his work within the Scotland camp.

‘Yes, he has,’ expressed Easson.

‘I like the way he works. Obviously, we’ve sat down quite a lot.

‘The two of us have worked quite closely, looking at our strengths in terms of individuals. We’ve designed a lot of plays around certain individuals and how we want to look at stuff. But obviously, a lot of plays are designed around what we’ve seen in Wales, too.

‘We’ve not given too much away in terms of Italy and Ireland. We’ve looked at some shapes and structures, but you’ve got to keep some stuff up your sleeve as well.’

That, indeed, could prove critical when it comes to their pool dynamics. Canada are roundly being seen as the tournament’s ‘dark horses’, and will be confident of topping their group. Scotland’s match against Wales therefore, could prove pivotal in terms of progression to the quarter-finals.

The top two from each pool make it through to the last eight in the 16-team tournament, and a quarter-final place is achievable for Easson’s team.

‘Yes, of course. World Cups are different, aren’t they, because you do get the opportunity in pre-season to get your squad together for a little bit longer,’ he said. ‘Going into a Six Nations you potentially have a week to two weeks maximum.

‘We have had five, six weeks together plus two Test matches, so eight or nine weeks to be able to look at our fitness and the way we want to play. We obviously don’t want to play exactly the way we did in the Six Nations. We’ve looked at our strengths and weaknesses. Wales are doing the same.

‘We’ve focused on Wales. We’re not looking beyond Wales. We’re not looking at Fiji or Canada — we’re looking at the first one and then we’ll move on after that.

‘We know the challenge that’s ahead of us. And we’re not taking it lightly and I’m sure Wales are the same.’