Louise Dalgliesh named as U20 Head Coach

Dalgliesh brings a wealth of experience and passion to the role, both as a seasoned international player and a rising force in coaching. With 67 caps for Scotland and appearances at the 2006 and 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cups, she has long been a respected figure on the field.

Following her playing career, Dalgliesh transitioned into coaching, making a global impact with the Japan national team during the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 (played in 2022) in New Zealand.

Moving back to the UK, Dalgliesh next coached with Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) side Sale Sharks, where she served as Assistant Coach and U23 Performance Coach. Most recently, she was appointed by the University of Edinburgh as their Head of Performance for Women’s Rugby.

Beyond the pitch, Dalgliesh has been using her skills and experience to support the advancement of women in coaching. She has delivered sessions for the Gallagher High Performance Academy internship programme and is currently involved with the Elev8 Elite Female Coaches programme through the RFU.

Dalgliesh takes over from Claire Cruikshank who is now in a full-time role as Female Performance Pipeline Lead Coach with Scottish Rugby and Edinburgh Rugby, where she is Head Coach for their Celtic Challenge side.

Speaking on the announcement, Dalgliesh said: “I’m delighted to be back in Scotland, and to be trusted to lead the U20 squad into the Summer Series this year is a privilege.

“Representing Scotland always brought me the ultimate sense of pride, so being back in the Thistle and having the chance to support and develop this group of players on their path to becoming a senior Scotland player comes with a real sense of responsibility. I also want to encourage them to enjoy themselves while they do it.

“We have had a few contacts now with the players as we work towards selection, and there has been a great energy amongst the group.”

Dalgliesh will be supported by Assistant Coaches Tamara Taylor and Matty Douglas.

Taylor, a former England international with 115 caps to her name, has been involved in a number of coaching set ups including that of Sweden Women, Saracens, Darlington Mowden Park Sharks and as a National Programmes Coach Developer for the RFU. She has most recently been involved with the North East of England team.

Douglas has most recently been involved with Edinburgh Rugby’s Celtic Challenge side as a defence coach. Before moving into this role, Douglas was the youngest Head Coach to have won a Premiership title with his hometown side of Hawick in 2023.

“I think having some new faces in the coaching group in Matty and Tam naturally freshens things up and really adds to the excitement,” said Dalgliesh.

“The three of us have a vast amount of experience from different environments and it has already been a lot of fun getting to know each other, share ideas and challenge where we want to go with the team.

“We are expecting another step up in level of competition this year given the number of players both within our own squad as well as opposition, who have been regulars in the PWR, Celtic Challenge and BUCS Super Rugby, so we will need to bring our best for the series.

“That said, as coaches we’ve already seen that we have a committed group of players who can adapt to challenges, are keen to learn and want to work hard for one another so it’s our job to keep building that momentum and have them ready to launch come competition time in the summer.”

An extended training squad will be announced next week with more detail around their preparation for the Six Nations Summer Series to be confirmed.

Scotland Women U20 Management

Louise Dalgliesh – Head Coach
Tamara Taylor – Assistant Coach
Matty Douglas – Assistant Coach
Rosie Walsh – Team Manager
Drew Scott – Strength & Conditioning
Megan Metcalfe – Analyst
Emma Grieve – Physiotherapist
Joe Kvedas – Physiotherapist
Dr Neil Vint – Doctor
Caitlyn Everett – Sports Science