Ex-Kelso and Gala fly-half Craig Dods named as head coach of Canada’s rugby sevens team

The 34-year-old, also a former development officer at the Poynder Park and Netherdale clubs, joins Rugby Canada after four years working for the Scottish Rugby Union as a specialist kicking coach.

“I’m delighted to be joining Rugby Canada at a pivotal time for the sport in such a proud and passionate rugby country,” said the Borderer, son of 23-times-capped Scotland full-back Peter Dods.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to make an impact on the men’s sevens programme as we aim towards the 2028 LA Olympics and support Stephen Meehan as the XVs team look towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

“I can see that Rugby Canada have elite high-performance players with the skill-sets and desire to compete at the highest level of our game, across both sevens and XVs.

“My family and I look forward to arriving, meeting the players, coaches and seeing the impact the sport has across the country.”

Welcoming Dods aboard, Rugby Canada high-performance director Shawn Bullock added: “We are excited to welcome Craig to our coaching staff with his extensive experience and expertise in sevens and XVs.”

This isn’t Dods’ first overseas posting as he was head of women’s rugby in Hungary from 2018 to 2020.

He’s also been an assistant coach with Great Britain’s sevens squad and a national talent pathway coach for the SRU.

Canada’s men’s XVs team are currently ranked 22nd in the world, 15 places below Scotland.