Sione Fukofuka has been appointed as the Scotland Women’s Rugby team head coach. The appointment comes in preparation for the Rugby World Cup 2029, set to be hosted in Australia. Fukofuka will be a great addition, having coaching experience in both men’s and women’s teams internationally. He is replacing Bryan Easson, who led Scotland for five years as head coach and was part of their run in the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-finals. He is expected to join the team in January and will be relocating to Edinburgh, Scotland.
Fukofuka started his coaching career in 2019 as part of the Australian Youth Men’s and Women’s sevens team. In 2021, he joined Wallaroos as an assistant coach. After this, he was the head coach of the United States women’s rugby national team from 2023 until the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup held in England. In addition to that, he has also served as Australia’s assistant coach and Queensland Reds women’s attack coach.
Under his coaching, the USA, however, missed out on their chance at the World Cup knockouts. In the 2025 Women’s Rugby Championship, the Scotland team won two of the five Test matches. Their next campaign begins in the Women’s Six Nations campaign, starting with Wales scheduled on April 11, 2026, followed by Italy on April 25 and Ireland on May 17. Meanwhile, they will play their home matches against holders England on April 18 and France on May 9.
Fukofuka on joining the Scotland Women’s Rugby Team
Following his appointment as Scotland’s head coach, Fukofuka expressed his excitement at receiving the chance to lead their women’s rugby team.
He said, “I am honoured and privileged to have the opportunity to lead the Scotland Women’s programme. Scottish Rugby’s vision and direction for the future of the women’s programme is one that drew me to the role.“
He also added, “An aligned domestic pathway and emphasis on the increasing professionalism of the senior programme through the Celtic Challenge and the senior Scotland Women team is exciting.”
Fukofuka further added by saying that he is looking forward to meeting the Scotland talents and starting his coaching experience there.
“I look forward to connecting with the talented players, quality staff and invested stakeholders across the program to drive a high-performance environment that develops the players to their potential and produces a style of rugby that can be successful,” he concluded.
