News & Features Scottish Rugby Corporate Appointments

Cruikshank appointed Head Coach for Summer Series

29 May 2024

Former Scotland international and prominent figure in women's rugby, Claire Cruikshank, will serve as the Head Coach for Scotland Women U20 team in the upcoming Summer Series in Parma, Italy, bringing her extensive coaching experience to the role.

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 12: Sarah Cruikshank is pictured during the 2022/23 Scotland Women's Headshot session at BT Murrayfield, on September 12, 2022, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Claire Cruickshank(Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Last summer Cruikshank led the Scotland Futures, the previous iteration of the U20 programme, to Rome for a series of training matches with Italy and Ireland where the Scots secured a 21-12 victory against Ireland U20s and suffered a narrow 10-7 defeat to the hosts.

Cruikshank’s coaching resume also includes a tenure as Head Coach for the Swedish Women’s National Team and she took up a coaching role with Scotland Women during the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand as part of World Rugby’s Coaching Internship Programme.

Earlier this year, Cruikshank, who is also the Head of Performance Ladies’ Rugby at Edinburgh University, guided Edinburgh Rugby to a strong second-place finish in the Celtic Challenge league standings.

On the announcement, Cruickshank said: “I’m delighted to continue to play my part in the pathway for Scotland Women through this role and I’m excited for both the opportunity and challenge this new competition brings.

“The development of an official Summer Series is an important new milestone for the pathway in Scotland, offering our best young athletes the opportunity to challenge themselves against new opposition and develop their skillset in a more pressured environment.

“In late April, we convened an extended squad of players featuring those who are supported through Scottish Rugby’s Regional Training Centres (RTC) and our Scottish Qualified Programme, or have featured in the U18 Six Nations Festival and the Celtic Challenge.

“This group is working hard each week, pushing each other to get the best out of one another, which will no doubt give us some difficulty in selecting our final travelling squad.”

Supporting Cruikshank in the Series will be Assistant Coaches, Stuart Corsar and Chris Laidlaw, both of whom have a wealth of experience in developing talent within Scotland’s female pathway.

Corsar and Laidlaw have been instrumental in the development of Scottish Rugby’s women’s and girls’ RTCs, which launched in 2023 and have helped develop more than 60 players. They have also played key roles in the Celtic Challenge, with Laidlaw appointed as Head Coach to Glasgow Warriors and Corsar coaching Edinburgh’s forwards.

Pictured: Chris Laidlaw (left) and Stuart Corsar (right).

“I’m really pleased to work with Stuart and Chris again”, added Cruikshank.

“Our entire management team has a wealth of expertise and their commitment to fostering young talent and developing them for the Summer Series brings a lot of excitement for the future of our game. We are really looking forward to our first fixture in July against Italy.”

Full management team:

Head Coach: Claire Cruikshank
Team Manager: Rosalynn Walsh
Assistant Coach: Stuart Corsar
Assistant Coach: Chris Laidlaw
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Drew Scott
Physiotherapist: Emily Geddes
Assistant Physiotherapist: Joe Kvedas
Doctor: Morag Robertson
Analyst: Megan Metcalfe