Thursday October 29th 2026
Dave Butcher
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Scottish Rugby has appointed Dave Butcher as the permanent head coach of the Scotland Women national team.
Butcher has led the side on an interim basis since the summer, including throughout the WXV Global Series, and will now oversee the team’s long-term development.
He joined the coaching staff as forwards coach ahead of the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations before stepping up to the interim head coach role.
Scottish Rugby said Butcher was selected following a recruitment process which recognised his coaching experience, knowledge of Scottish rugby and vision for the future of the women’s programme.
His priorities will include building a connected team culture and strengthening links between the senior national side and the wider player development pathway.
He will work closely with head of women’s performance and pathways Andy Rhys Jones to improve alignment between the national team, National Academy and Celtic Challenge, helping develop players and establish Scotland’s playing identity.
Butcher will remain based in Scotland throughout his tenure.
A Scotsman who represented his country at age-grade level, Butcher grew up in Balloch before moving to the north of England. He previously worked across Scottish Rugby’s men’s performance and age-grade programmes, including coaching Scotland under-16s and under-17s, the Scottish Development XV and the Scottish Qualified Programme.
He later gained experience across men’s and women’s international and professional rugby, with his most recent role before returning to Scotland earlier this year as assistant coach for forwards with Canada, who reached the final of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Speaking after his appointment, 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.”
He said the programme would focus on connecting its different development stages and improving the progression of players 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,” he added.
“Going forward we want to be really intentional about how we go after our talent and how we develop that, with our rugby identity as a nation being key to all of that.”
Rhys Jones welcomed the appointment, saying Butcher understood the Scottish rugby landscape and the importance of working collaboratively to develop players for international rugby.
Scottish Rugby performance director David Nucifora said Butcher had demonstrated the coaching and leadership qualities needed to take the team forward.
The recruitment process for a full-time assistant coach specialising in backs and attack will begin shortly. Chris Laidlaw has also joined the coaching staff permanently as assistant coach after initially being seconded to the role during WXV.
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