women’s rugby
premiership-womens-rugby
Nathan Smith, the head coach of Loughborough Lightning, is set to join Canada on secondment throughout the upcoming WXV Global Series tournament.
During September and October, assistant coach Rachel Taylor will take temporary charge of the East Midlands-based team for their JAECOO PWR Next Gen Cup matches against Sale Sharks, Saracens, Exeter Chiefs, and Leicester Tigers.
Taylor, who previously captained Wales, served as the head coach for Sale Sharks prior to her move to Loughborough as an assistant coach in 2025.
Smith was earlier seconded to Kévin Rouet’s Canadian coaching staff during this year’s Pacific Four Series, taking responsibility for the squad’s lineout operations.
Following games against the Wallaroos, Black Ferns, and the USA Women’s Eagles, Canada secured a second-place finish in the four-team tournament.
Since his initial stint with the Canadian national team, Smith has secured the signatures of six Canadian internationals for the 2026/27 JAECOO Premiership Women’s Rugby season: Pamphinette Buisa, Chloe Daniels, Brooke Rempel, Kiki Idowu, Rachel Smith, and Florence Symonds.
Over the coming ten weeks, the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup runners-up are scheduled to face Scotland, England, and France in Europe, followed by two subsequent Test matches against the Red Roses in Toronto and Ottawa.
These five Test fixtures represent some of the toughest challenges of the WXV Global Series, with three matchups against the Red Roses expected to thoroughly test Rouet’s side.
Speaking on the move, Smith remarked: “I am once again incredibly thankful to Loughborough University for facilitating this secondment, and to Rugby Canada for offering me this chance. My previous stint with them was highly rewarding and helped me develop further as a coach.
“I believe this next period will elevate my development even further. Preparing a team to play the Red Roses three times, while traveling across four different countries during my time away, is about as massive a challenge as you can get in the women’s game.
“I know the Lightning squad is in fantastic hands. Tails [Taylor] has prior experience as a head coach at the PWR level and is highly skilled. The same goes for Matt Campbell, who coached a significant portion of this group during Loughborough University’s successful championship-winning BUCS Super Rugby campaign last season.”
