RWC2025 | Head coach Bryan Easson and Rachel McLachlan look ahead to Scotland's final Pool B match
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Head coach Bryan Easson and Rachel McLachlan look ahead to Scotland's final Pool B match against Canada at Sandy Park on Saturday, 6 September
Bryan Easson, head coach
On the game against Canada:
“We’ve prepared this team like we’ve prepared against Wales and Fiji. We’ve got a huge amount of respect for Canada, they’re second in the world for a reason, so we’ve prepared accordingly, knowing that it’ll be a real physical test for us.
“If we look beyond this one, that’s where you slip up. Canada are an outstanding side and if you take your eye off the ball and take away anything from the clarity we’ve been discussing this week, you can slip up.
“If we are as accurate and clinical on both sides of the ball like we were against the Welsh, we’ll have a good chance, but we have to be on it for 80 minutes.”
On the squad:
“Confidence is high because of the performances and because of the group itself. They’re a bubbly group and it continued to be like that, the environment, the culture is brilliant. Even when you’ve gone eight weeks together.
“There’s a lot of confidence around the group, and to win a game like this against Canada, it would really peak, it would probably be the best one ever for us.
“We’re sixth [in the world] at the moment; we’ve been fifth, and that doesn’t happen by accident. There’s been a lot of work, and it’s taken time to get here, but we’re backing up performances now.”
On the Canada set-up:
“The sevens programme is excellent; a lot of the players are in the World Series there. They’ve got most of their players in the PWR, so they’re playing professional rugby week in, week out.”
Rachel McLachlan
On playing Canada:
“I’m quite excited, it’s a great opportunity and we have got nothing to lose so let’s go out there and show what we are about. They are a quality side, but so are we.”
On building into this tournament one game at a time:
“Yeah, we are, absolutely. It has been immense getting to the quarters but having said that, the job is not done. We still have got one more left in the pool stage; we can have a crack at it.”
On what it would do, confidence wise, if Scotland beat Canada:
“It would be massive. We have that performance in us, we aren’t shy about that Canada are second in the world for a reason, but I don’t think there is a reason why we can’t put out that 80-minute performance.”
On her own game:
“I’m really happy with rugby at the minute, really enjoying it, enjoying the time here and over in France. It was a really good move for me and my happiness in rugby.”
On her combination with her fellow back-row forwards:
“We are really tight knit as a unit, helping each other and talking points, watching rugby together. It’s been a real
positive in our group regarding that depth.”
On her social role in the group
“I am one of the social ones and I take that very seriously! There’s a few of us. Bit of a motley crew but we love it and it’s a big part of our team.”
