Rugby: Ladies coach hopes it all scrums together in World Cup bid
Jan 21 2009 by Colin Paterson, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
A FORMER Waysiders/Drumpellier Rugby Football Club star is hoping to guide Scotland to the World Cup.
Jamie Dempsey has taken over as head coach of the national women’s team.
And the 29-year-old’s preparations for the forthcoming Six Nations Championship were given a real boost last Sunday when his side thrashed Sweden 32-0 in a friendly at Boroughmuir RFC’s Meggetland.
To qualify for next year’s World Cup in London, the Scots must finish above any two from Ireland, Italy and Wales.
Dempsey admits women’s rugby doesn’t enjoy a huge profile in this country, but hopes the clinching of a World Cup place would help change all that.
“To make the World Cup, we need to finish higher in the Six Nations table than any two from Wales, Ireland and Italy.
“And we have the best possible draw as we have all three of those teams at home.
“We finished bottom last year so we know we have a lot of hard work to do.
“The women’s game is not as high profile as the men’s but we are currently ranked sixth in the world.
“There are around 1000 playing women members in Scotland and they put in a lot of hard work.
“We have punched well above our weight but now we have a relatively new team after the loss of some experienced players who held the side together.”
After his stint with W/D, Dempsey played two seasons at Lanarkshire rivals Dalziel before becoming player/coach at Allan Glen’s.
He also spent six years as a Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) development officer followed by a two-year spell as development manager for the governing body.
As well as his duties with Scotland, Dempsey is part of the coaching team at Premiership One outfit Glasgow Hawks and is a lecturer in sports coaching at Cumbernauld College.
The women’s team may be classed as part-time but Dempsey revealed a lot of work goes on behind the scenes to get the players ready for battle.
“There is a great support network for the side and we focus a lot on strengthening and conditioning,” he said.
“On average, the players will have three strengthening and conditioning sessions a week, two training sessions and a game.
“We basically have the same level of staff as a full-time team even though we are working on a part-time basis. Everyone is completely dedicated.
“I had a couple of family members at the match against Sweden and they were surprised at the intensity and quality of the play.”
Rugby-mad Dempsey, who lives in Airdrie, is happy with the number of commitments he has on his plate and knows what he wants from 2009.
He added: “I thoroughly enjoy my work at Glasgow and I feel I have the best of both worlds – coaching at a Premiership One club and at international level in the women’s game.
“This year, hopefully, the Hawks can hold onto Premiership One status and Scotland can qualify for the World Cup, making the whole nation proud of our achievement.”

This article was originally posted on 22-Jan-2009, 12:47 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 22-Jan-2009, 13:31.