“We’re really looking forward to Vancouver, I think we have a really good chance of going pretty well in this tournament,” Matt said. “We’ve played all the teams enough times now that we know what to expect and how to take them on. Our performances are just getting better and better from the first tournament, there’s a real belief in the group to push for the semi-finals. Once we get there it’s knockout rugby so who knows from there but we have a real belief.

“We have a really good squad with some fantastic rugby players, so once we get there it’ll be about trying to flip that pressure, so instead of being scared of it and worry about what could come next, we talk about winning tournaments, because once we perform well in one tournament then it takes the pressure off the next two.

“The work-ons from the last tournament were different from the first couple. After Dubai and Cape Town, we maybe had a bit of a lack of knowledge about where we were trying to get to as a group. Whereas we liked the way we started to attack and defend In Singapore and Perth so it’s now about trying to double down on those. The clarity there has become a lot more streamlined so we’re all just very excited.”

With the 7s programme emerging as a brilliant opportunity for young players to hone their skills, Matt shared his experiences of the format and how it’s helped him grow.

“7s has been huge for development. Even before I came in, the number of guys that have played 7s then gone on to play for the national team is huge. With the nature of only having two pro teams, the next level of rugby for youngsters is the Premiership which for some might not be the best pathway. Getting them involved in 7s and getting a few touches on the ball could be massive for some young players, it’s also the most exposed you’ll ever be defensively! It really can be quite tough, 7s itself is pretty physically and mentally demanding, so you end up growing up pretty quickly when you’re involved in something like this.”

Matt’s experience will no doubt be on show across this weekend, as the World Championships in Hong Kong approach. you’ll be able to catch him and all of team GB live from Vancouver on RugbyPass.

The post Player Profile: Matt Davidson appeared first on Scottish Rugby.

In the women’s side, GB stalwarts Heather Cowell, Abigail Brown and Grace Crompton will all make their way into the squad, adding Olympic experience to the group.

Great Britain 7s Director of Rugby, Ciaran Beattie, said: “As we head into the next set of events, we’re seeing some Olympic experience work its way in, which we think is going to be on show come Saturday. I think it’s been a pretty tough start for the women, but we’re all confident that they’ll keep progressing, they’re consistently taking steps forward.

“For the men, we’re welcoming back Jake Henry, he’s been involved in the Scottish Rugby system for a long time and is looking to bounce back after years of injury; he’s looking really sharp. We also have Ben Salmon from the Glasgow Pro Academy set to make his debut, we’re really excited for him to get started inside the programme and come out firing. We’ve had some good results across both teams so we’re looking to keep building towards the World Championships in Hong Kong.”

World SVNS Series Pool Fixtures Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 March – All matches available live on Rugby Pass (UK kick-off times)

Men

South Africa v Great Britain – 20:03

New Zealand v Great Britain – 23:39

Spain v Great Britain – 03:18

Women

New Zealand v Great Britain – 20:47

France v Great Britain – 00:13

Japan v Great Britain – 04:02

(Remaining fixtures will be dependent on pool stage results) 

The teams

Women’s squad

2. Abigail Brown – Loughborough Lightning / RFU (CC)

4. Grace Crompton – Harlequins / RFU

8. Evelyn Clarke – Loughborough Lightning / RFU

10. Katie Shillaker – Harlequins / RFU (CC)

11. Abigail Pritchard – Gloucester Hartpury / RFU

17. Chantelle Miell – Saracens / RFU

20. Saran Jones – Brython Thunder / WRU

22. Holly Thorpe – Sale Sharks / RFU

23. Heather Cowell – Harlequins / RFU

27. Georgie Lingham – Leicester Tigers / RFU

47. Gabby Healan- Brython Thunder/ WRU

64. Amy Williams – Brython Thunder / WRU

67. Ellen Scantlebury – Exeter / RFU

Men’s squad

3. Finlay Callaghan (Scotland Sevens)

4. Roan Frostwick (Scotland Sevens)

5. Marcus Kershaw (Great Britain Sevens)

6. Matt Davidson (Scotland Sevens)

8. Jacob Henry (Scotland Sevens)

11. Ethan Waddleton (Great Britain Sevens)

12. Ben Salmon (Glasgow Warriors Pro-Academy)

13. Fin Lloyd Gilmour (Great Britain Sevens)

14. Ryan Apps (Great Britain Sevens)

15. Tom Burton (Exeter University)

23. Josh Radcliffe (Scotland Sevens)

24. Charlton Kerr (Great Britain Sevens) CAPTAIN

44. Sunni Jardine (Great Britain Sevens)

The post Great Britain 7s squads announced for Vancouver appeared first on Scottish Rugby.

The men’s team took to the field opposite France to set their pool play off, and after a tough defeat they tackled New Zealand, who currently sit in third place in the table overall. Ultimately the men took a 19-26 victory, displaying a level of performance that the team have been striving to showcase. Australia came next for the men’s squad, finishing in a tight 21-24 loss for GB, with a loss against France in the 7th-place play-off on Sunday meaning the men too finished in eighth position.  

Great Britain Sevens Director of Rugby, Ciaran Beattie said: “For the Women it was a series of really tough results, but we’re finding out a lot about our players so there’s some steps forward being taken that we’re looking to expand upon.”  

“When it comes to the men’s squad, it was amazing to get that win against New Zealand but looking at it broader we were in every game within a score, aside from the first half of our first game against France, which we need to address.”  

“The men’s competition is just so tight, New Zealand have placed fourth and have won a single game, we’ve won one also and placed eighth – it just shows the quality of the competition. We know where it is we need to improve but there’s a lot of confidence within the squad that we’re on the right track, ultimately though we’re just focused on Vancouver.”  

World Series Singapore 2026 Recap 

Saturday 31 January  

Men’s pool fixtures
France 36 – 10 Great Britain
New Zealand 19 – 26 Great Britain
Australia 24 – 21 Great Britain 

Women’s pool fixtures
Australia 54 – 5 Great Britain
Canada 45 – 7 Great Britain
France 42 – 10 Great Britain 

Day 2 Results  

Women’s 5th Place Semi-Final 
Japan 29 – 7 Great Britain 

Men’s 5th Place Semi-Final 
Spain 28 – 19 Great Britain 

Women’s 7th Place Play-Off 
Great Britain 5 – 41 Fiji 

Men’s 7th Place Play-Off 
Great Britain 17 – 24 France 
 

The post Perth 7s Recap appeared first on Scottish Rugby.

In the men’s squad, Scots Ross McKnight, Finlay Callaghan, Roan Frostwick, Matt Davidson and Josh Radcliffe make up a strong Scottish contingent. Only one change has been made, with Ollie Dawkins, looking to pick up his first cap, being called up to replace Luca Bardelli after the Ayr winger suffered an injury in Singapore last weekend.  

The Women’s squad remains unchanged from last time out. Captains Katie Shillaker and Chantelle Mielle will lead the side once more as they look to shift performance into results. 

Great Britain 7s Director of Rugby, Ciaran Beattie, said:” Success for us comes from taking a step forward, we’re definitely aiming to see some results, especially for the men where we’ve been just inches away in so many of our games. A step up in performances is always something we’re looking for.” 

Both squads will come up against some of the top teams in some challenging fixtures, with the women facing a strong Australia and the men taking on New Zealand, who currently sit second overall in the table, in a competitive set of men’s fixtures.  

Beattie added: “For the women, there’s a clear dominance from Australia and New Zealand so getting to go against those squads again is a real learning experience, it’s fantastic to get to come up against teams like them.” 

World SVNS Series Pool Fixtures 7th February – All matches are live on Rugby Pass (UK kick-off times) 

Women’s Fixtures  

Australia v Great Britain– 03:36
Canada v Great Britain – 06:20 
France v Great Britain – 09:36 

Men’s Fixtures  

France v Great Britain – 04:42
New Zealand v Great Britain – 07:58
Australia v Great Britain – 11:36  

Remaining fixtures will be dependent on pool stage results. 

Women’s squad 
1.Millie Hyett (Gloucester Hartpury/RFU)
3.Jenny Hesketh (Bristol Bears/WRU)
6.Evelyn Clarke (Loughborough/RFU)
8.Molly Luthayi (Loughborough/RFU)
10.Katie Shillaker (Harlequins/RFU) – CO-CAPTAIN
11.Abigail Pritchard (Gloucester Hartpury/RFU)
15.Courtney Greenway (Gwalia Lightning/WRU)
17.Chantelle Miell (Saracens/RFU)  -CO-CAPTAIN
19.Jojo Vosakiwaiwai (Harlequins/RFU)
27.Georgie Lingham (LeicesterTigers/RFU)
55.Joia Bennett (Saracens/RFU)
77.Eloise Hayward (WRU)
97.Joy Okechukwu (Harlequins/RFU)

Men’s squad
1.Ross McKnight (Edinburgh Rugby Pro-Academy)
3.Finlay Callaghan (Scotland Sevens)
4.Roan Frostwick(Scotland Sevens)
5.Marcus Kershaw (Great Britain Sevens)
6.Matt Davidson (Scotland Sevens)
10.Brent Jackson (Glasgow Warriors Pro-Academy)
11.Fin Lloyd Gilmour (Great Britain Sevens)
15.Tom Burton (Exeter University)
21.Callum Woolley (Scarlets)
22.Ollie Dawkins (Eastern Suburb / Great Britain Sevens)
23.Josh Radcliffe (Scotland Sevens)
24.Charlton Kerr (Great Britain Sevens) CAPTAIN
44.Sunni Jardine (Great Britain Sevens) 

The post Great Britain 7s Squads Announced for Perth appeared first on Scottish Rugby.

GB men’s were unable to match South Africa and Spain and a narrow defeat against Fiji earlier in the day showed a real competitive edge but the men ultimately took eighth place in the end.  

The women’s squad also took on strong opposition, coming up against top of the table New Zealand as their first fixture of the weekend. GB women’s eventually finished in eighth after defeats to Fiji and Japan in the final two matches on Sunday.  

Great Britain Sevens Director of Rugby, Ciaran Beattie said: “It was a difficult weekend for both teams. There were some players that really put their hands up over the course of the weekend, with a few new caps that have learned a lot.” 

“There was promise in some of the performances and ultimately, we’re really looking to turn those performances into points come Perth next week. That’s the beauty of the game that we have five or six games to go and show that.”  

World Series Singapore 2026 Results – 

Saturday 31 January 

Men’s pool fixtures 

Fiji 22-19 Great Britain  

South Africa 33-12 Great Britain 

Great Britain 14-29 Spain 

Women’s pool fixtures  

New Zealand 64-0 Great Britain  

France 32-5 Great Britain  

Canada 52-0 Great Britain 

Day 2 Results  

Men’s  

5th Place Semi Final: Australia 26-19 Great Britain 

7th Place play-off: Argentina 14-10 Great Britain 

Women’s  

5th Place Semi Final: Fiji 36-12 Great Britain 

7th Place Play-Off: Great Britain 5-41 Japan 

Men’s Squad

1. Ross McKnight (Edinburgh Rugby Pro-Academy)
3. Finlay Callaghan (Scotland Sevens
4. Roan Frostwick (Scotland Sevens)
5. Marcus Kershaw (Great Britain Sevens)
6. Matt Davidson (Scotland Sevens)
10. Brent Jackson (Glasgow Warriors Pro-Academy)
11. Fin Lloyd Gilmour (Great Britan Sevens)
15. Tom Burton (Exeter University)
21. Callum Woolley (Scarlets)
23. Josh Radcliffe (Scotland Sevens)
24. Charlton Kerr (Great Britain Sevens) CAPTAIN
25. Luca Bardelli (Ayr)
44. Sunni Jardine (Great Britain Sevens)

Women’s squad

1. Millie Hyett (Gloucester Hartpury/RFU)
3. Jenny Hesketh (Bristol Bears/WRU)
6. Evelyn Clarke (Loughborough/RFU)
8. Molly Luthayi (Loughborough/RFU
10. Katie Shillaker (Harlequins/RFU) CO-CAPTAIN
11. Abigail Pritchard(Gloucester Hartpury/RFU)
15. Courtney Greenway (Gwalia Lightning/WRU)
17. Chantelle Miell (Saracens/RFU) CO-CAPTAIN
19. Jojo Vosakiwaiwai (Harlequins/RFU)
27. Georgie Lingham (Leicester Tigers/RFU)
55. Joia Bennett (Saracens/RFU)
77. Eloise Hayward (WRU)
97. Joy Okechukwu (Harlequins/RFU)

The post Singapore Sevens Recap appeared first on Scottish Rugby.

Selected for Singapore are Fin Lloyd Gilmour, Callum Woolley, Sunny Jardine, Edinburgh Pro-Academy player Ross McKnight and Scotland 7s’ Finlay Callaghan.

They replace Damien Hoyland, Ethan Waddleton, Rory McHaffie and Ryan Apps in a rotated group.

Glasgow Warriors youngster Brent Jackson, as well as Scotland 7s players Josh Radcliffe and Matt Davidson, make up the rest of the Scottish representation in the Men’s squad.

Great Britain Sevens Director of Rugby, Ciaran Beattie, said: “We’re at the point now where we’re after performance and development, and that performance really has to start coming at this stage. We laid it out on the table first thing that we’d rotate the squads and we’d try a few things on and off the park. We believe we’ll be better come the start of the championship in Hong Kong because of it.”

Beattie, commenting on the women’s squad, said: “We’re really going after some growth and development. There’s a clear mandate for the end of the season to perform, but we need to give ourselves room to breathe and develop. We see in the selection for Singapore that Chantelle Miell has come back into it, Eloise Hayward has gotten more caps so more experience will drip in to help those having their first taste of 7s grow massively.

World SVNS Series Pool Fixtures 31 January – All matches are live on Rugby Pass (UK kick-off times)

Men’s Pool Fixtures

Fiji v Great Britain – 4:32 am
South Africa v Great Britain – 8:20 am
Spain v Great Britain – 11:24 am

Women’s Pool Fixtures

New Zealand v Great Britain – 2:42 am
France v Great Britain – 5:46 am
Canada v Great Britain – 9:12 am

Remaining fixtures will be dependent on pool stage results.

Men’s Squad

1. Ross McKnight (Edinburgh Rugby Pro-Academy)
3. Finlay Callaghan (Scotland Sevens)
4. Roan Frostwick (Scotland Sevens)
5. Marcus Kershaw (Great Britain Sevens)
6. Matt Davidson (Scotland Sevens)
10. Brent Jackson (Glasgow Warriors Pro-Academy)
11. Fin Lloyd Gilmour (Great Britan Sevens)
15. Tom Burton (Exeter University)
21. Callum Woolley (Scarlets)
23. Josh Radcliffe (Scotland Sevens)
24. Charlton Kerr (Great Britain Sevens) CAPTAIN
25. Luca Bardelli (Ayr)
44. Sunni Jardine (Great Britain Sevens)

Women’s squad

1. Millie Hyett (Gloucester Hartpury/RFU)
3. Jenny Hesketh (Bristol Bears/WRU)
6. Evelyn Clarke (Loughborough/RFU)
8. Molly Luthayi (Loughborough/RFU
10. Katie Shillaker (Harlequins/RFU) CO-CAPTAIN
11. Abigail Pritchard(Gloucester Hartpury/RFU)
15. Courtney Greenway (Gwalia Lightning/WRU)
17. Chantelle Miell (Saracens/RFU) CO-CAPTAIN
19. Jojo Vosakiwaiwai (Harlequins/RFU)
27. Georgie Lingham (Leicester Tigers/RFU)
55. Joia Bennett (Saracens/RFU)
77. Eloise Hayward (WRU)
97. Joy Okechukwu (Harlequins/RFU)

The post Great Britain 7s squads for Singapore confirmed appeared first on Scottish Rugby.

The men’s squad is unchanged from last weekend’s Dubai Sevens, while there is one change to the women’s squad as Jorja Aiono drops out.

Contracted players Roan Frostwick, Damien Hoyland, Matt Davidson and Josh Radcliffe are selected, alongside Edinburgh Rugby pro-academy prospects Rory McHaffie and Ollie Duncan as well as Glasgow Warriors youngster Brent Jackson. Luca Bardelli completes the Scottish contingent. GB men’s sevens will be captained by Charlton Kerr who has previously played for England and GB7s.

Ethan Waddleton is set to make his 50^th World Series event appearance.

Great Britain Sevens Director of Rugby Ciaran Beattie said: “We’re looking to see some progression in terms of performance for both squads this weekend. The women obviously had some tough results but progressed as the weekend went on, so we’re looking for them to kick on again, and for the men we had excellent wins against the number 1 and 2 ranked sides heading into the tournament, but we definitely want to keep moving forward.

“It’s international rugby so wins are always important. We’ve got two tough pools, but for the men getting to play South Africa in Cape Town, I don’t think Sevens gets much better than that.

“We’ve obviously got some added motivation with Ethan getting his 50^th, someone who is hugely respected not only within this group but the world of Sevens and rugby, so the boys are definitely motivated to do well for him.”

World Series Pool Fixtures – Saturday 6 December – All matches are live on Rugby Pass

Men’s pool fixtures:

New Zealand v Great Britain – 10.22am

Fiji v Great Britain – 1.38pm

South Africa v Great Britain – 5.41pm

Women’s pool fixtures:

New Zealand v Great Britain – 9.06am

Fiji v Great Britain – 12pm

USA v Great Britain- 3.26pm

Great Britain Squads

Men’s Squad

Roan Frostwick (Scotland Sevens)
Marcus Kershaw (Great Britain Sevens)
Matt Davidson (Scotland Sevens)
Damien Hoyland (Scotland Sevens)
Rory McHaffie (Edinburgh Rugby Pro-Academy)
Brent Jackson (Glasgow Warriors Pro-Academy)
Ethan Waddleton (Great Britain Sevens)
Ryan Apps (Great Britain Sevens)
Tom Burton (Exeter University)
Ollie Duncan (Edinburgh Rugby Pro-Academy)
Josh Radcliffe (Scotland Sevens)
Charlton Kerr (Great Britain Sevens) CAPTAIN
Luca Bardelli (Ayr)

Women’s Squad

Hanna Marshall (Gloucester Hartpury/WRU)
Katie Shillaker (Harlequins/RFU) – CO-CAPTAIN
Abigail Prichard (Gloucester Hartpury/RFU)
Eva Wood (Sale/RFU)
Nia Fajeyisan (Gwalia Lightning/WRU)
Hollie Williamson (Richmond RFC/RFU)
Courtney Greenway (Gwalia Lightning/WRU)
Ashton Adcock (Loughborough Lightning/RFU)
Solana Shaw de Leon (Harlequins/RFU)
Joia Bennett (Saracens/RFU)
Ellen Scantlebury (Loughborough Lightning/RFU)
Eloise Hayward (Great Britain Sevens) – CO-CAPTAIN

The post Great Britain 7s squads for Cape Town Sevens confirmed appeared first on Scottish Rugby.

In the opening weekend of the World Sevens Series, Great Britain men’s and women’s teams finished seventh and eighth place respectively. 

Led by Ciaran Beattie, GB men’s had a tough pool, losing out to New Zealand and Australia in competitive fixtures, and defeating Spain. 

This set up Sunday fixtures against South Africa where they lost 35-0 before winning the seventh placed play-off 24-19 against Argentina. 

GB women’s faced tough opposition across the two days and finished eighth place following defeats on the final day to USA and France. 

Ciaran Beattie said: “The girls had a huge learning opportunity coming into the tournament, and seeing them grow throughout the weekend was great to see. There were some tough games and results but at this stage it’s about growth and we certainly saw that across the matches. 

“Winning two out of five games for the men’s team is a steady start for the team given this is the first event of the series. The men’s game is so competitive where anyone can beat anyone and that showed over the weekend as we beat the number one and two ranked seeds in the world, coming into the tournament. 

“We now head to Cape Town which will be an incredible experience. With us being in the early stages of the series, these matches are so important to the development of both teams.” 

World Series Dubai 2025 Results – Saturday 29 November  

Men’s pool fixtures 

New Zealand 21-14 Great Britain 

Spain 10-14 Great Britain  

Australia 26-17 Great Britain 

Women’s pool fixtures: 

Canada 41-5 Great Britain 

Great Britain 5-36 Japan  

Australia 55-0 Great Britain 

Day 2 Results 

Men’s 

5th place semi-final: Great Britain 0-34 South Africa 

7th place play-off: Argentina 19-24 Great Britain 

Women’s 

5th place semi-final: USA 49-14 Great Britain 

7th place play-off: Great Britain 5-46 France 

The post Dubai Sevens 2025 Recap appeared first on Scottish Rugby.

The men’s squad take on New Zealand, Spain and Australia whilst the women’s squad play Canada, Japan and Australia in the pool stage fixtures, this Saturday, before more matches are played on Sunday to determine their final placing in the tournament.

The men’s sevens programme now operates full-time from Oriam, Scotland’s sports performance centre at Heriot Watt University, with a small group of core Scottish contracted sevens players.

Contracted players Roan Frostwick, Damien Hoyland, Matt Davidson and Josh Radcliffe are selected, alongside Edinburgh Rugby pro-academy prospects Rory McHaffie and Ollie Duncan as well as Glasgow Warriors youngster Brent Jackson. Luca Bardelli completes the Scottish contingent. GB men’s sevens will be captained by Charlton Kerr who has previously played for England and GB7s.

The GB women’s sevens programme is predominantly operated out of England and Wales with their squad this weekend made up of players from those two countries. Several of the Wales-based players in the women’s squad have experience in the 15s game within the Celtic Challenge, while a number of the English players are assigned to Premiership sides.

Scottish Rugby has recently taken charge of the oversight of the men’s and women’s Great Britain Sevens. The programme is run by Ciaran Beattie, who is also coaching the men’s squad, while Jonathan Hooper will lead the women’s squad. Beattie was previously head coach of Scotland Sevens and has led Great Britain Sevens since Scotland, England and Wales combined to compete on the World Series due to mandated World Rugby Olympic qualification requirements in 2022.  Hooper previously coached Shogun Sevens and used to be head coach of Wales Women’s U18s 7s.

Great Britain Sevens Director of Rugby Ciaran Beattie said: “I’m excited for the start of this season, because it’s one where we can really build on throughout. Dubai is the starting point for both of these squads and we’re really excited to see how much they can build and where they can get to over the season.

“We’ve had limited time together in the build-up, but it’s been utilised well and there’s been good focus and energy.

“We’ve got a great blend of some experienced players but also some really good youngsters who are rip-roaring to go.

“The sevens circuit is so demanding on each individual player that by exposing our young talent to it they’re only going to get better.

“Our contracted group of men’s players have trained well recently and we’re looking forward to seeing how they combine with the other players selected. Rory McHaffie is a young talent within Scottish Rugby and we’re excited to see how sevens can develop him and push him on to where we believe he can get to.

“In the women’s team, Solana Shaw de Leon is someone young and exciting who has trained well that we’re looking towards the future with. Katie Shillaker and Eloise Hayward return as experienced players and I’m excited to see how they progress through the year.”

World Series Pool Fixtures – Saturday 29 November – All matches are live on Rugby Pass

Men’s pool fixtures

New Zealand v Great Britain – 8.26am

Spain v Great Britain – 11.32am

Australia v Great Britain – 3.50pm

Women’s pool fixtures:

Canada v Great Britain – 8.04am

Great Britain v Japan – 10.43am

Australia v Great Britain- 2.11pm

Great Britain Squads

Men’s Squad

Roan Frostwick (Scotland Sevens)

Marcus Kershaw (Great Britain Sevens)

Matt Davidson (Scotland Sevens)

Damien Hoyland (Scotland Sevens)

Rory McHaffie (Edinburgh Rugby Pro-Academy)

Brent Jackson (Glasgow Warriors Pro-Academy)

Ethan Waddleton (Great Britain Sevens)

Ryan Apps (Great Britain Sevens)

Tom Burton (Exeter University)

Ollie Duncan (Edinburgh Rugby Pro-Academy)

Josh Radcliffe (Scotland Sevens)

Charlton Kerr (Great Britain Sevens) CAPTAIN

Luca Bardelli (Ayr)

Women’s Squad

Hanna Marshall (Gloucester Hartpury/WRU)

Katie Shillaker (Harlequins/RFU) – CO-CAPTAIN

Abigail Prichard (Gloucester Hartpury/RFU)

Eva Wood (Sale/RFU)

Nia Fajeyisan (Gwalia Lightning/WRU)

Hollie Williamson (Richmond RFC/RFU)

Courtney Greenway (Gwalia Lightning/WRU)

Ashton Adcock (Loughborough Lightning/RFU)

Solana Shaw de Leon (Harlequins/RFU)

Jorja Aiono (Gloucester Hartpury/WRU)

Joia Bennett (Saracens/RFU)

Ellen Scantlebury (Loughborough Lightning/RFU)

Eloise Hayward (Great Britain Sevens) – CO-CAPTAIN

The post Great Britain Sevens squads named for Dubai World Series event appeared first on Scottish Rugby.

The men’s sevens programme will operate full-time from Oriam, Scotland’s sports performance centre at Heriot Watt University, with a small group of core Scottish contracted sevens players. They will be complemented by a selection of other players from Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby’s professional academies as well as players selected from the National Talent Pathway which works with players under the age of 20. Players from club sides around Scotland will also be given opportunities to be considered.

The GB women’s sevens programme will operate predominantly out of England and Wales with players from all three countries able to be nominated for selection whilst aligning to their own performance pathway programmes.

There are six contracted Scottish players as the men’s programme begins including Scotland internationalist Damien Hoyland who joins after playing in the MLR for Old Glory DC. Hoyland made his Scotland debut in 2015, previously playing for Edinburgh Rugby and is also a stalwart of the sevens game.

Finn Callaghan is also selected, who came through the Glasgow Warriors Academy and played for Scotland in the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens before also featuring for Great Britain Sevens.

Matt Davidson began his rugby with Ayr before featuring for Scotland U20 and standing out for Heriot’s in the Super Series. He has also played for Edinburgh Rugby, making his debut in 2023. He has been capped by Scotland Sevens and been involved in the Great Britain Sevens programme recently.

25-year-old Roan Frostwick is a product of Edinburgh Rugby’s Academy, playing for the capital club, Watsonians in the Super Series as well as Great Britain Sevens.

Jacob Henry has come through the Scottish pathway system having played for Scotland U20s, Edinburgh Academy and Scotland Sevens, in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Josh Radcliffe is a 22-year-old Australian born sevens player who qualifies for Scotland through his father. He has recently been playing in New Zealand for the University of Waikato Rugby Club and New Zealand Universities.

Ahead of HSBC SVNS World Series events, players from Wales and England will also be available for Great Britain Sevens selection.

The Scotland squad will visit Malaga for an international preparation tournament later in October where they will compete with other nations including France, Spain and Germany.

Ciaran Beattie will then lead Great Britain Sevens for the HSBC SVNS World Series which will kick-off on 29-30 November in Dubai.

Joining Scottish Rugby in the management team are Sara Davies as Great Britain 7s Team Manager, Matt Stagg as Great Britain 7s Strength and Conditioning Coach and Rob Smithson as Great Britain 7s physio.

Sara was Team Services and Operations Manager with Great Britain 7s last season and has experiences in Team Management roles at Scarlets Rugby, Wales Men U20 and Newport Gwent Dragons.

Matt was also with Great Britain 7s during the 2024-2025 season as S&C Coach and has also worked with Leicester Tigers and Rugby Australia.

Rob Smithson has also been appointed as physio, joining from Edinburgh Rugby having previously worked with the women’s national team and at Gloucester Rugby.

Scotland Sevens Contracted Players:

Finn Callaghan
Matt Davidson
Roan Frostwick
Jacob Henry
Damien Hoyland
Josh Radcliffe

Scottish Rugby Performance Director David Nucifora said: “Following the recent roll-out of the new high-performance pathway plans we are determined to give our best young players regular opportunities to test themselves.

“The Sevens World Series is an excellent opportunity to expose our players to international rugby and better prepare them for the demands of professional rugby.

“The new model allows us to develop young Scottish players in a full-time training environment prior to exposing them to the world stage by competing for Great Britain.

“Ciaran Beattie is vastly experienced in sevens and will be able to drive the programme forward.”

Great Britain Sevens Director of Rugby Ciaran Beattie said: “In the new set-up we will have Great Britain men’s and women’s sevens teams that will be tournament based and will involve Scottish, English and Welsh players.

“In between that, as part of the new high-performance player pathway programme we will have a full-time Scotland men’s sevens programme which will allow us to develop and stretch a group of promising young players. These guys will also be available for selection for Great Britain Sevens.

“We are looking to grow our young players and competing on the world stage for Great Britain is a great opportunity. The series weekends are always unbelievable events.

“Having a cohort of Scottish men’s players training regularly together will really help progress the new Great Britain Sevens model and allow us to work with the best Welsh and English players where we aim to perform well on the world stage.

“We have a good selection of core players that will provide continuity but we also have a great opportunity to give a number of other promising players the chance to train and compete at a high level, which will accelerate their development.”

The post Scottish Rugby to drive forward new sevens programme appeared first on Scottish Rugby.