Scottish Rugby expands women's contracts to 47 as 15 players return home for 2026/27

Scottish Rugby has significantly expanded its women’s contracting model for 2026/27, with 47 players now under contract compared to 35 in the previous cycle, and 35 of them based in Scotland rather than the 18 who were home-based last season.

Andy Rhys Jones, Scottish Rugby’s head of women’s performance and pathways, confirmed the new structure, which ties the majority of contracted players to either Edinburgh Rugby or Glasgow Warriors. Of the 47 contracted players, 25 are classified as ‘Players Supported in Scotland’, 10 as ‘Academy Contracted Players’, and 12 as ‘Non-Scotland Based Supported Players’ who will continue their domestic rugby in England and France.

Among those returning is Chloe Rollie, joined by uncapped centre Holly McIntyre — both relocating from France’s AXA Élite 1 Féminine. In total, 15 players are giving up positions in two of the world’s top domestic leagues to play in the Celtic Challenge, the cross-border competition that also features Irish and Welsh provincial sides.

Edinburgh and Glasgow finished fifth and sixth respectively in the Celtic Challenge last season, with Irish and Welsh clubs outperforming them. The influx of home-based talent is expected to significantly strengthen both Scottish sides heading into the new campaign, though the exact format and fixture schedule for the coming season is yet to be confirmed.

Questions remain over whether the Celtic Challenge provides a high enough standard of competition to help Scotland’s leading players push for British & Irish Lions Women’s selection, particularly when compared to England’s Premiership Women’s Rugby. That competition is currently considering expanding beyond its nine English clubs, and Scottish Rugby have formally lodged an expression of interest — though any such move is not expected in the immediate future.

Players who have been added to the contracted list include Leah Bartlett, Gemma Bell, Becky Boyd, Rhea Clarke, Rianna Darroch, Coreen Grant, Bethan Mathieson, Fi McIntosh, Holly McIntyre, Cat Moody, Rachel Philipps, Lucia Scott, Aicha Sutcliffe, Faye Sutherland and Evie Wills. Adelle Ferrie, Emily Norval and Sky Phimister, who were contracted last season, do not appear on the new list.

How Arnold Clark Premiership clubs and lower domestic league sides fit into the broader development picture remains an open question, but Scottish Rugby’s immediate focus is on the scale of the shift they have managed to engineer in bringing the bulk of their top female talent back north of the border.