Our Head of Women’s Rugby, Claire Cruikshank, will be stepping down from her role to take on a historic new position within Scottish Rugby where she will be become the first ever professional rugby coach for Edinburgh Rugby Women. Claire is a driving force in the Women’s Game and this is evidenced by the 12 current and former University of Edinburgh players selected for Scotland’s Six Nations squad in 2024. Claire’s University of Edinburgh side also provided 12 players who represented Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby in the Celtic Challenge. Director of Sport and Active Health, Mark Munro, is delighted for our outgoing Head of Women’s Rugby; We are thrilled to announce that Claire Cruikshank, our Head of Women's Performance Rugby, has been appointed as the first-ever professional rugby coach for the Edinburgh Rugby women's side. Claire's impact on the University of Edinburgh over the past decade has been nothing short of transformative, building a programme that is now a vital pathway for talent to the National Women’s team.While Claire will be stepping away from the day-to-day coaching our University women’s team, we’re pleased to share that she will retain a formal strategic oversight role for our programme through our ongoing partnership with Edinburgh Rugby. We are immensely proud of Claire’s achievements and look forward to seeing her continue to shape the future of women’s rugby in Scotland at both a national and international level. Claire is excited by the new challenge; I’m incredibly excited to be joining Edinburgh Rugby in this new role. However, it’s not without a hint of sadness - I owe so much to The University of Edinburgh and EULRFC, both of which have been instrumental in shaping my growth as a coach and as a person. I’ve had the privilege of overseeing a remarkable transformation in the programme, with highlights including multiple National BUCS titles and seeing many players achieve senior international honours. I can’t thank each player from the past 12 seasons enough for their part in this journey.“Looking forward, I’m deeply grateful to remain involved in the rugby programme at The University of Edinburgh in a strategic capacity, strengthening the partnership between both organisations and driving further progress for the future. Alongside her impressive coaching work Claire is a driving force and leader in the Women’s Game in Scotland and beyond. She sits on the BUCS rugby advisory group, advocating for Women’s sport, player welfare, education and the advancement of top-level university sport. Claire has been instrumental in the creation of BUCS Super Rugby for 2024/25 and having the University of Edinburgh play in the first fixture at HIVE Stadium.Claire is a true pioneer in Women’s rugby developing players, coaches and driving the sport to improve. She inspires everyone around her and supports student athletes to achieve at the highest level in sport and academicsWe all wish Claire every success in her new role and delighted that she will be retaining a role in overseeing our Rugby programme as well as playing a key role in our partnership with Edinburgh Rugby. This article was published on 2024-11-15
