How will Ireland, Scotland and Wales fare at Rugby World Cup?

“We all as a group love his work, love what he's done for us, love how much he's pushed us on and how much he's changed us as a squad,” Toulouse and Scotland full-back Chloe Rollie said last week. “He has made us more professional and he's lifted our standards. I couldn't say a negative word about him.”

Easson is leaving after failing to agree a new contract, while as many as half of Scotland’s 28 centrally-contracted players are yet to re-sign before their current deals expire in October. Captain Rachel Malcolm has called the talks “disruptive” and “unfair”, while a source told BBC Sport some players were “suffering with the mental and emotional health following the potential loss of their contracts”.

An experienced side – nine of their selected players have more than 50 caps – Scotland lost both warm-up matches to Italy and Ireland, while Bristol Bears hooker Lana Skeldon is a doubt for the opening match with an ankle injury. Fifth in the most recent Six Nations, the underlying concern is that they peaked during a seven-match unbeaten streak between 2023 and 2024. Their World Cup begins in Salford on Saturday against Wales, who have won just one match in 2025, beating Australia in July, still scarred by a contract dispute of their own. Both teams are in Pool B alongside Canada and Fiji, with Scotland edging their Six Nations bout 29-27. With Canada favourites to win that group and third-favourites for the competition, the two Home Nations are likely contending for second and an almost inevitable quarter-final against England.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s hopes might well depend on the fitness of Six Nations player of the tournament Aoife Wafer. The red-headed back row, joining Harlequins after the World Cup, was judged to be far enough in her recovery from MCL surgery to be called up by head coach Scott Bemand but is unlikely to feature meaningfully until later in the tournament. With fellow flankers Dorothy Wall and Erin King not selected with respective Achilles and knee injuries, this leaves Ireland’s back row short on both firepower and experience. In fact, no player in the 32-strong squad has more than 47 caps and only hooker Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald has previously played in a World Cup.

There is some consternation at call-ups for Ellena Perry, the Gloucester-Hartpury prop who won 11 caps for England between 2018-2020 before falling out of favour, allowing her to switch allegiance. Qualifying for Ireland through an Irish grandparent, she will help cover for Christy Haney, who misses out with a hamstring injury – and was, to be fair to Perry, born in Leesburg, Virginia herself. Perry made her debut in a 47-26 pre-tournament defeat to Canada, while Exeter centre Nancy McGillivray - once called up by England but never capped – debuted in victory over Scotland earlier this month.

Having not qualified for the delayed 2021 tournament, Ireland have finished third in the past two Six Nations tournaments and shocked New Zealand at WXV in Vancouver last September with a two-point victory. They join the Black Ferns in Group C, alongside Spain and opening opponents Japan – they play at Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday – with France or Italy their most likely quarter-final opponents. If Wafer can find fitness and the squad are not overawed by the occasion, the “Green Wave” could roll deep in this tournament.