Scottish Rugby is pleased to today confirm the appointment of Dave Butcher as the permanent Head Coach of the Scotland Women national team.
Butcher, who has been leading the team on an interim basis since the summer and throughout the WXV Global Series, will continue in the role as Scotland Women establish a clear and consistent direction for the future and build sustained success.
Following a thorough recruitment process, Butcher was appointed to the role in recognition of his coaching quality, technical experience, understanding of the Scottish rugby landscape, alongside his vision for the long-term development of the programme.
Having joined as Forwards Coach during the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations before stepping in as interim Head Coach, Butcher has developed a strong understanding of the senior squad and wider programme, providing a solid foundation for his permanent appointment.
His focus will be on building a connected culture across the WNT, while working closely with Head of Women’s Performance and Pathways Andy Rhys Jones to strengthen alignment across the senior women’s national team and the performance and pathway system to ensure a consistent approach on how to develop players and Scotland’s playing identity.
Butcher will remain based in Scotland throughout his tenure.
A proud Scotsman who represented his country at age grade level, having spent his early years in Balloch to Scottish parents before relocating to the north of England, Butcher joined Scotland Women’s staff as Forwards Coach ahead of the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations.
Joining ahead of the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations marked a return to Scottish Rugby for Butcher, having previously worked across a performance and national age-grade programmes within the men’s pathway, including coaching Scotland U16s, U17s, the Scottish Development XV and working with the Scottish Qualified Programme, as well as leading talent identification programmes internationally.
Butcher continued to build a strong reputation in the game after his first spell with Scottish Rugby, especially in set piece, gaining extensive experience from coaching across men’s and women’s international, professional and performance-pathway environments.
His previous role before returning to Scottish Rugby earlier this year was as Assistant Coach (Forwards) with the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup finalists Canada.
The process to recruit a full-time Assistant Coach (backs and attack) to Butcher’s management staff will soon get underway, with Chris Laidlaw having now joined permanently as Assistant Coach following his initial secondment during WXV.
Upon being named Scotland Women Head Coach, Dave Butcher, said: “It is fantastic to be named the Head Coach of Scotland Women. It is an amazing thing and group to be a part of.
“During my time in the role on an interim basis, I saw the work that was being done by Andy Rhys Jones and the vision from David Nucifora, and I knew I could add to it and wanted to be a part of driving that long-term.
“I’m really excited to be able to dive into the role beyond the recent campaign, focusing on the alignment of the programme and how we push forward performance from the National Talent Pathway, the National Academy, and the Celtic Challenge into the national team.
“We can’t be a standalone team without connection beneath us, so our immediate priority will be to review WXV and connect with the players, but going forward we want to be really intentional about how we go after our talent and how we develop that is going to be hugely important, with our rugby identity as a nation being key to all of that.”
Scottish Rugby Head of Women’s Performance and Pathways, Andy Rhys Jones, said: “I’m really pleased that Dave will lead Scotland Women as Head Coach on a permanent basis.
“Dave brings real quality as a coach, alongside the personal values and understanding of the culture needed to get the best out of players and staff. His approach to coaching and leadership will be important in driving the team forward.
“He understands the Scottish rugby landscape and the importance of working collaboratively across the national team and wider pathways system to support player development and prepare players to succeed at international level.
“Dave has a clear vision for Scotland Women and shares our ambition for the team. His appointment provides continuity and alignment as we work together to build a strong national team environment and achieve sustained progress and success.”
Scottish Rugby Performance Director, David Nucifora, added: “I’m pleased to confirm Dave’s appointment as permanent Head Coach of Scotland Women.
“Dave brings valuable experience across the international men’s and women’s game, with strong technical knowledge and a clear understanding of the demands of rugby at the highest level.
“Throughout a thorough appointment process, Dave demonstrated the coaching and leadership qualities we believe are important in taking the national team forward. His experience and collaborative approach give us confidence in his ability to lead the team.
“We look forward to continuing to support Dave and developing the coaching team around him as we build on the foundations in place and work towards sustained progress.”
