Scott Bemand Signs Extension to Lead Ireland Women’s Rugby Through 2029

Ireland Women’s Rugby have secured the services of Head Coach Scott Bemand through to the 2029 Rugby World Cup, bolstering the program’s stability as it continues its upward trajectory. The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) announced the contract extension, recognizing Bemand’s positive impact since taking the helm in August 2023.

A Period of Growth Under Bemand

Bemand’s tenure has coincided with a significant period of improvement for the Irish Women’s team. Highlights include winning the inaugural WXV3 tournament in Dubai, automatically qualifying for the 2025 World Cup in England with a third-place finish in the 2024 Guinness Women’s Six Nations and a historic victory over reigning world champions New Zealand at WXV1 in Vancouver, where they finished second.

At the 2024 World Cup, Ireland reached the quarter-finals, securing pool victories against Spain and Japan before a narrow defeat to France. As a result of this progress, the team has risen to fifth in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings.

Bemand’s Commitment to the Program

“It is a great privilege to sign on for another Rugby World Cup cycle with the IRFU and reaffirm my commitment and belief in the squad and programme moving forward,” Bemand stated. “We have made positive progress in recent years but we know there is more to come from our group and are excited to build on the foundations we have laid.”

Bemand emphasized the strong work ethic and determination within the team, expressing his commitment to continuing to build on that foundation to compete at the highest level. He highlighted the upcoming Guinness Women’s Six Nations as a key opportunity to further test and develop the squad.

Six Nations Fixtures

Ireland will begin their Six Nations campaign with an away match against England at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, April 11th. They will then host Italy at Dexcom Stadium on April 18th – the first Women’s Six Nations match to be held at the newly renovated Connacht Rugby home. Ireland will travel to France on April 25th before completing the championship with home games against Wales in Belfast (Affidea Stadium) and Scotland in Dublin (Aviva Stadium).

The match against Scotland will be the first ever standalone women’s international to be held at the Aviva Stadium.

Bemand’s Background

Prior to joining Ireland in August 2023, Scott Bemand served as the Lead Coach for the England Women’s XVs team from 2015. During his time with England, the Red Roses won six Six Nations titles (including five Grand Slams) and achieved the number one world ranking. He was also part of the coaching staff during the 2017 and 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cups, where England finished as runners-up.