Latest news with #BryanEasson
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Have your say on Scotland's disruptive World Cup build-up
Scotland were beaten 34-29 by Italy on Friday in their first World Cup warm-up match as their difficult preparations for the tournament continued. With uncertainty surrounding player contracts and head coach Bryan Easson leaving his role after the World Cup, what do you make of the current state of women's rugby in Scotland? Do you think there is any chance of success on the field amid such disruption? Send us your thoughts.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Have your say on Scotland's disruptive World Cup build-up
Scotland were beaten 34-29 by Italy on Friday in their first World Cup warm-up match as their difficult preparations for the tournament continued. With uncertainty surrounding player contracts and head coach Bryan Easson leaving his role after the World Cup, what do you make of the current state of women's rugby in Scotland?Do you think there is any chance of success on the field amid such disruption?Send us your thoughts.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Scotland beaten by Italy in World Cup warm-up
Women's Rugby World Cup warm-up: Italy v ScotlandItaly 34 (20)Tries: D'Inca 3, Vecchini, Muzzo, Rigoni Cons: Sillari 2 Pens:Scotland 29 (5)Tries: Skeldon, Nelson, Gallagher 2, Martin Cons: Nelson 2 Scotland's difficult preparation for the Women's Rugby World Cup continued with a warm-up defeat by Italy in this week, captain Rachel Malcolm said her side had been put in an "unfair position" by a "very disruptive" build-up to the than half the squad face uncertainty over their contracts, while head coach Bryan Easson will step down after the World Cup - a decision Malcom described as "a shock" and "upsetting".Scotland, perhaps unsurprisingly, started slowly in northern Italy and went into half-time 15 points behind as Alyssa D'Inca crossed twice for hosts, in addition to tries from Vittoria Vecchini and Aura Bears' Lana Skeldon scored Scotland's only points of the opening period off the back of a powerful rolling side improved after the break and got themselves within three points thanks to Helen Nelson's try in the corner and Evie Gallagher's converted Italian replacement Beatrice Rigoni broke Scotland's defensive line to keep the visitors at arm's length, before some quick hands released D'Inca to complete her crashed over for her second try, but the visitors were unable to cross again in the limited time that Scots face Ireland in another warm-up in Cork on 2 August, before their World Cup opener against Wales on 23 August. Line-ups Italy: Granzotto, Muzzo, Sillari, Mannini, D'Inca, Stevanin, Stefan; Maris, Vecchini, Seye, Fedrighi, Duca, Sgorbini, Veronese, Scott, Lloyd, Wills, Thomson, Grant, Nelson, Brebner-Holden; Bartlett, Skeldon, Clarke, Wassell, Ferrie, Malcolm, McLachlan, Martin, Wright, Cockburn, Donaldson, Stewart, Mattinson, Ramsay, Aurelie Groizeleau.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'World class' Wassell's World Cup place not guaranteed
Scotland head coach Bryan Easson is delighted to be able to recall "world class" Emma Wassell - but he says her World Cup place is not says Wassell's selection for his final squad for next month's tournament will be based on performance rather than who is in the Scotland team to face Italy this weekend, will represent her country for the first time since missing the entire 2024-25 season after undergoing surgery to remove a tumour from her says while the return of Wassell, capped 67 times by Scotland, is a huge boost to the squad, she will receive no special treatment."Wass knows that herself because she's been out for a while," Easson said. "But if she gets anywhere near the levels she's been at before, she's a world-class set-piece operator."She's physical, she gives us go forward in attack, but she's also really physical defensively."But as we know, she's been out a while, so it's back to evidence. We need evidence to see what she's like in a more pressurised environment. In pre-season she's thrown herself about, she's ready to go."She's really impressed everybody, but we make it very clear to everyone that selection is performance-based."I believe it's one of the reasons why the team has grown. It's not about being in here and expecting a jersey, it's about fighting for that jersey."So Wass is the same, and everybody that puts a jersey on knows they want to put in a performance that is worthy of selection for the next game."
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Disruptive' Scotland build-up frustrates Malcolm
Captain Rachel Malcolm says the Scotland players have been put in an "unfair position" by a "very disruptive" build-up to this summer's Rugby World month a source from the Scotland camp told the BBC players were "suffering with their mental and emotional health" as more than half the squad faced uncertainty over their contracts after the executive Alex Williamson said the contract negotiations would be resolved before Scotland's opener against Wales on 23 August, although those discussions remain coach Bryan Easson announced last week he would be stepping down after the World Cup, which Malcolm said came as "a shock" and she described the timing of the announcement, so close to the tournament, as "upsetting".Malcolm said having to deal with numerous off-field issues less than a month out from the event has BBC has contacted Scottish Rugby for comment."I think that the timing is the most frustrating," the 34-year-old flanker said."As players we want to have 1000% of our focus on performing for our country at the biggest tournament in our careers, but there's obviously been that distraction."I think all of us are very passionate that the game in Scotland needs to grow and all of us are very passionate about being a part of that process, but not at the detriment of our performance at this World Cup, which ultimately is the most important part of our careers as players."I think it's slightly unfair to put us in a position where that distraction's been there."My ethos as a captain is to make my players feel like superwomen, it's to make them feel valued and like they belong. And the processes which have gone on behind the scenes have definitely done almost the opposite of those three things, so it's definitely made my job a little bit tougher." Easson departing after 'sticky' discussions Malcolm said discussions with the Scottish Rugby hierarchy to try to resolve the contractual dispute only served to leave her feeling "more frustrated" and the union "probably haven't had too much sympathy towards our case".On the timing of the announcement of Easson's impending departure, Malcolm believes it was taken out of the head coach's hands."I don't think much of it was within his control, so obviously Scottish Rugby decided that was the time to do it and that's when it was done, so there's not much else we can do about that," she said."It's not ideal prep whatsoever. It's been very disruptive."Easson admits the timing of the announcement was problematic, with "sticky" discussions with Williamson taking place in the last month, and refused to be drawn on whether he was leaving the role of his own volition."My contract was up after the Rugby World Cup, we have been in discussions for a long time just to see what's happening and it's been sticky," he said."I'll be honest, discussions have been sticky, and it did take a while and I did have a discussion three or four weeks ago."It was felt that it was the right time to move on. Obviously I'd have preferred the timing to have been a little bit different, but it was just an adult conversation between two people."Professional sport is high-performance sport and I think one thing you do understand as a coach is that you're never going to be in one place for forever."
