Fukofuka departs Scotland Women head coach role
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- Sione Fukofuka departed his role as Scotland Women head coach after eight months, requesting release from his contract on compassionate grounds and citing personal reasons.
- Fukofuka joined Scottish Rugby in December, shortly before the Women's Six Nations, and led Scotland to a fifth-place finish with their only win coming against Wales.
- Fukofuka said the stress and strain of being away from his family in Australia proved too much, and that his wife's parents falling ill made the planned 12-month family relocation no longer feasible.
- Forwards coach Dave Butcher will take interim charge of Scotland ahead of the WXV Global Series, which begins September 13.
- Scottish Rugby performance director David Nucifora said the organization fully respects and understands Fukofuka's decision, praising his passion and commitment to the national team and the wider women's programme.
Why it matters: Scotland Women now enter a coaching transition with roughly six weeks until the WXV Global Series opener on September 13, leaving interim coach Dave Butcher to stabilize the side while long-term recruitment conversations run in parallel. Fukofuka's exit underscores the structural cost of international coaching when families remain on another continent.
