Scotland Coach

Breaking news; Mark Dodson, SR CEO, announces "We have concluded our search for a head coach and will announce that in coming weeks."

Any Ideas? sounds like its someone still in a job

Interesting... Any article with this info?

Perhaps Mckenzie? Les Kiss? Doubt it's lineen,he's doing a good job in his current role.

I think it'll be Mckenzie because of Matt Taylor being defence coach. Makes sense to me...

Ah twitter post. Strange time to mention it when the 7's is on, should have waited till Monday I think.

this was in the local paper on the 3rd aswell

SCOTT Johnson has struck a deal to take over as the Scottish Rugby Union’s new director of rugby and will relinquish the national team’s head coach role once a successor is found.

It is believed that the SRU already have a new head coach in mind but are not yet able to tie down a contract or reveal his identity, possibly because of

existing commitments elsewhere.

Hmm all very interesting.. GC, get on here and tell us who it is. You seem pretty clued up on this sort of thing

It appears that is a done deal mate

Scottish Rugby Union have appointed a new national team head coach but will not name him till the end of the month.

On Friday, the SRU announced that interim head coach Scott Johnson would take on the role of director of rugby .

Johnson led the side in this year's Six Nations Championship after the departure of Andy Robinson in November .

"We have concluded our search for a head coach and will announce that in coming weeks," said SRU chief executive Mark Dodson.

Johnson will take charge of the team's summer tour of South Africa.

The 50-year-old Australian joined the Scotland staff under Andy Robinson as attack coach before taking on the role on an interim basis following Robinson's departure.

Dodson had earlier said it would cast the net wide in search of a new head coach.

Whoever it is isnt scottish and currently contracted to a club side.

Quote from dodson sru.

Nick Mallet maybe? Shall we make a list of possible candidates now that it seems to have been narrowed down a bit?

Phil Goodlad - BBC Scotland wrote: Scottish Rugby Union have appointed a new national team head coach but will not name him till the end of the month.

On Friday, the SRU announced that interim head coach Scott Johnson would take on the role of director of rugby .

Johnson led the side in this year's Six Nations Championship after the departure of Andy Robinson in November .

"We have concluded our search for a head coach and will announce that in coming weeks," said SRU chief executive Mark Dodson.

Dodson admitted that the new coach was under contract at another club, and told BBC Scotland that the coach was not local.

"I think it's safe to say he's not from Scotland," he said.

Johnson will take charge of the team's summer tour of South Africa.

The 50-year-old Australian joined the Scotland staff as attack coach, but ruled himself out of taking the head coach's job on a permanent basis.

However, Dodson insisted he was delighted Johnston would remain in the director of rugby position.

"When we discussed the whole structure we wanted to put in place to take Scottish rugby forward over the next 10-15 years, it was clear the director of rugby role was integral to fulfilling the aims we've got," he said.

"And when you looked at his qualities and experience, he was a perfect fit."

Dodson also maintained that the new structure in place at Murrayfield was the right one to make Scottish rugby prosper.

"I think we're very much on our way," he said. "I think we've worked very hard on the structure.

"We had to get these appointments right. We've taken our time, we've had lots of due diligence and we've settled on, I think, the right blend."

So, currently contracted at another CLUB, and NOT Scottish.

Time for a Ven diagram...

Had this been 6 weeks ago, I wouldn't have been surprised if it was to be Bradley...

Not surprised, but absolutely furious mind you.

It's not going to be Steve Tandy from the Ospreys is it? What with the Johnson and now Humphreys link....

Mallet is out as the successful candidate is currently contracted and he's not is he ?

My bet is McKenzie, or possibly Wayne Smith.

Interestingly, Todd Blackadder is out of a contract with the Crusaders at the end of this season, and Wayne Smith has one more year but has a release clause.

Possibilities

Nick Mallet - Currently coaching the SA barbarians that will play Saracens on the 16th of May in London. This might explain why the SRU cannot announce him as coach yet as he is currently under contract. According to the BBC article the new coach is under contract by a club. This would match the following statement by Mallet in the article below. Mallett said: “The SA Barbarians are a well-established club, who played against England last year. We look forward to playing Saracens, and enhancing the tradition. This match presents a fantastic opportunity for experienced players and bright young talent alike to make their mark. We will put together a squad to entertain and to challenge well-organised opponents.”

However, Mallet stated after coaching Italy he wants to spend time with his family in SA. Has this changed?

http://www.saracens.com/nick-mallett-to-coach-sa-barbarians-at-hac/?

Ewen Mckenzie - Said he is leaving the Reds at the end of this season and wants to coach international rugby. Super 15 season ends on the 15th of July. However, recently Reds officials have asked Mckenzie to reconsider his decision to leave. This may have delayed things with the head coach being announced for Scotland and the SRU are waiting for a more appropriate time? Purely speculation on my part.

Wayne Smith - Spent some time last year giving advice to Edinburgh and Glasgow whilst AR was still coaching Scotland. "I'm really excited to visit Scotland and share some ideas. I have Scottish heritage and have always cherished touring here in the past with the All Blacks." He turned down coaching offers from the Force and notably England. However, he had this to say regarding the England role... "The job description was waffly and looked like it was for the head of a PR company rather than a rugby coach." Could well be the coach, as in the BBC article they say "I think its safe to say he's not from Scotland.." Does this imply he is not Scottish but has some Scottish ancestry as we know Smith already does?

Out of these three, I 'd say..

8/10 chance its Mallet

5/10 chance its Mckenzie

7/10 chance its Smith

Thoughts? Other coaches who might be in with a shout?

IanBru wrote:Interestingly, Todd Blackadder is out of a contract with the Crusaders at the end of this season, and Wayne Smith has one more year but has a release clause.

please no. Its becoming increasingly obvious that the Crusaders are half the team they were before blackadder took over, and unless at least 2 out of Mccaw, Reid and Carter are on song in a game, they are not great. For all the fond memories we have of him from his time at edinburgh, sadists fans wouldnt be sad to see the back of him.

Smith lobbed Edinburgh with Francis - keep him out of the Scotland post!

Appointing Johnson as director of rugby and appointing Humphries says to me the new coach will be someone fairly inexperienced / not a big name.

Lyn Jones to complete the Ospreys reunion

Would be very very surprised if its Ewen McKenzie guys.

bsando wrote:Hmm all very interesting.. GC, get on here and tell us who it is. You seem pretty clued up on this sort of thing

I've got nothing. Find it impossible to separate in my head whom I'd like it to be from who is actually will be.

Making SJ director of rugby is fine by me. The more talent we keep in Edinburgh the better. Either the talk of broadening the search is an utter red herring or they're sniffing out a Super 15 franchise coach. Really hope it's the latter as it would show something approaching innovation, to say nothing of a pair of stones of unprecedented size, by the SRU.

We need a competent professional, I don't care if he's'a "name" or not.

I think we are better off if its not a "name" as the top guys won't want it and the other second rank "names" are like Johnson - failures. An up and coming ambitious coach is what we want - someone who wants to make a name for themselves.

the only exception to this would be Mallett

I think we can rule out Cotter and O'Shea because I can't see them binning the Ireland job and accepting the Scotland one.

My gut instinct is actually that it's Blackadder or MacKenzie. Blackadder ruled himself out before the start of the S15 reason for the reason that Sean Maitland guessed in an interview (he wanted to win the S15 with the Crusaders) but he must have food for thought now as there's no way the Crusaders are going to win it this year on current form.

Todd has closest links with Scottish rugby through Edinburgh and MacPhail and may well relish the chance to link up with Maitland again. I hope it isn't, mind you.

I'd just like someone new and MacKenzie would be excellent. He has 3 years international experience as Wallabies assistant coach and selector (a traditional weakness in Scotland coaches) to say nothing of the 50-odd caps he got as a prop himself.

Most interesting of all is that he stated publicly he was interested in the Ireland job. Okay. I've convinced myself that it's him...

I'm not sure how interested in the Ireland job he really was. A lot seem to think he wants a deal in Australia, possibly even replacing Robbie Deans as Oz Head Coach. But if Scotland did get McKenzie it would be a great coup, he would have been my second choice for Ireland after Schmidt.

From Smithers in the Herald today:

McKenzie and Smith in frame for Scotland post
Monday 6 May 2013

As SRU officials yesterday declared that a new Scotland head coach has been appointed but cannot be named, all indications pointed towards either Ewen McKenzie, the Queensland Reds head coach, or Wayne Smith, the former All Blacks supremo.

While introducing Scott Johnson in his new role as SRU director of rugby and Jonathan Humphreys, the Scotland team's forwards coach, at their first public outing since being appointed to those posts last week, Mark Dodson, Murrayfield's chief executive, revealed that another major announcement was imminent.

"I am delighted to say we have also concluded our search for a head coach and will be announcing that appointment in the next few weeks," he said.

Dodson, who has made repeated references to undertaking a worldwide search for the right man, said he could not identify the successful candidate and would not even say why. However it seems clear that he feels unable to do so because the individual concerned remains employed elsewhere.

Taking into account Johnson's antipodean background and the confidence being expressed that the Scottish rugby community will be impressed when the announcement is made, that strongly suggests recruitment from the on-going Super Rugby competition.

While Todd Blackadder, the Canterbury Crusaders head coach, would fit the bill having been hugely popular when with Edinburgh a decade or so ago, the timing seems to fit better for McKenzie or Smith.

McKenzie, a 1991 World Cup- winning Wallaby prop who coached the New South Wales Waratahs to the then Super 14 final in 2008, worked closely with Matt Taylor, the Australian-born Scotland A internationalist who returned to this country last year to be defence coach to both the national team and Glasgow Warriors. McKenzie, who shocked Australian rugby in March by indicating that this would be his last season with the Reds, has made clear his eagerness to coach at Test level clear and is believed to have narrowly missed out in his bid to get the Ireland job to which New Zealander Joe Schmidt was promoted from Leinster last week.

Smith, the All Blacks' head coach when Scotland toured there in 2000 and their assistant coach when they won the World Cup two years ago, meanwhile made much of his Caledonian roots when in this country to offer coaching tutorials earlier this year. He is currently working with Waikato Chiefs. Either way. the SRU's refusal to name their man leaves open the probability that a major decision pertaining to the running of Scottish rugby will once again emerge from outside the country since yesterday's comments will doubtless heighten speculation within Southern Hemisphere rugby and media circles.

Dodson, meanwhile, said the importance of getting the right man goes beyond the sport of rugby. "It is also one of the key decisions in Scottish sport because this is one sport where we can be globally competitive," he asserted.

He defended the decision to appoint Johnson without advertising the post of director of rugby – in abeyance since 2005 – on the basis that it would have been impossible to find a better candidate.

"We know who all the best people in the world are, it is not the most extensive list you have ever seen because we wanted the very best and it became clear when we had our discussions that Scott would fit the bill to be our director of rugby perfectly. That is why we did not advertise the post."

Admitting to a long-term "disconnect between Murrayfield and what happens out in the domestic game" Dodson promised that Johnson would oversee a new structure which will put in place an academy process working with clubs, schools and coaches around the country.

"We are going to bridge that gap between the perception that we are concentrating too much on the elite game and not enough on the the Scottish game and what makes that special," he maintained.

Peter wright on twitter reckons its Wayne smith based on the premise that if they have just appointed a forwards coach in humphries- its likely to be a coach from a forward background

Sound like a good call .

Assume you mean unlikely - I would agree with that logic, although there remains the possibility that they could be planning to shift Humphreys to the Edinburgh head coach position after the summer tour, leaving the new Scotland coach to recruit assistants before November.

Another article from the Edinburgh Evening News reckons it will be Blackadder, although it does just sound like speculation, I don't know if you could call one unnamed source a "strong groundswell of opinion"!

Rugby: Ewan McKenzie out of frame for Scotland
Published: 06 May 2013

Front-runner Ewan McKenzie is set to rule himself out of contention for the vacant position of Scottish Rugby coach. The Evening News has learned that former Wallaby prop McKenzie is not in the frame with a strong groundswell of opinion from the Southern Hemisphere favouring one-time All Blacks and Edinburgh captain, Todd Blackadder. A source close to Queensland Reds, where McKenzie is currently employed, said: “McKenzie can be ruled out but the hint is that Todd Blackadder will be getting the Scotland job if he wants it.” One reason why McKenzie, who is believed to have been interviewed for the recent Ireland vacancy, now filled, is at long odds is down to Jonathan Humphreys being appointed last week as Scotland forwards coach. The idea of two ex-front rows in McKenzie and Humphreys taking charge of Scotland would be hard to fathom and although Blackadder also spent his career in the scrum he was a renowned back row forward. Currently with Canterbury Crusaders, there is a school of thought that Blackadder has taken this team as far as he can and is ready for the next move in a celebrated career. Others being mentioned are Wayne Smith, the former stand off who has been All Blacks backs coach and Jake White, who steered South Africa to a World Cup. But Blackadder was today emerging as the strongest contender.

Blackadder is a sneering cad!

I'd like to see Wayne Smith, seems like a good bloke with a lot of rugby nous. I wouldn't say no to Blackadder either.

My favourite always would've been Nick Mallett, he really knows how to push a team forward, but I very much doubt it was him.

I agree with previous posts that Ewan MacKenzie seems highly unlikely now

I would be disappointed if it was Blackadder. He has not exactly set the heather on fire with the Crusaders ,couple of semis and a losing final.
Any of the other coaches mentioned would suit me fine although with the appointment of a forwards coach already it would seem that we are to get a less well established successor.
As long as the new coach continues to evolve the open running rugby we saw glimpses of at the 6N , I will be happier. I will not be happy until we are regularly competing in the 6N with the team finishing in the top 3 consistently.
If they could replicate the Glasgow style and results that Tooney has developed this season that would be great thanks.

Tooney for National Head Coach then? Follow the Leinster way?

Sorry, already posted above.

One other thing Paddy Power not taking bets on Wayne Smith.

I really hope it's Smith rather than, as Baldrick stated, the arrogant, rubber-faced b@stard.

justified sinner wrote:For what it's worth here's the Edinburgh Evening News view.


http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/rugby/top-rugby-stories/rugby-ewan-mckenzie-out-of-frame-for-scotland-1-2921277

Rugby: Ewan McKenzie out of frame for Scotland

Published on 06/05/2013 12:00

Front-runner Ewan McKenzie is set to rule himself out of contention for the vacant position of Scottish Rugby coach.

The Evening News has learned that former Wallaby prop McKenzie is not in the frame with a strong groundswell of opinion from the Southern Hemisphere favouring one-time All Blacks and Edinburgh captain, Todd Blackadder.

A source close to Queensland Reds, where McKenzie is currently employed, said: “McKenzie can be ruled out but the hint is that Todd Blackadder will be getting the Scotland job if he wants it.”

One reason why McKenzie, who is believed to have been interviewed for the recent Ireland vacancy, now filled, is at long odds is down to Jonathan Humphreys being appointed last week as Scotland forwards coach. The idea of two ex-front rows in McKenzie and Humphreys taking charge of Scotland would be hard to fathom and although Blackadder also spent his career in the scrum he was a renowned back row forward.

Yes, because the Reds' back play really is rubbish...

Sorry for going off topic but there's rumours on Twitter that SA have pulled out of their own tournament and have been replaced by the golden lions??

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, it's going to be Darren Edwards. Come on Scotland, do your old muckers at Dragons a favour please.

RDW_Scotland wrote:Sorry for going off topic but there's rumours on Twitter that SA have pulled out of their own tournament and have been replaced by the golden lions??

SA rugby have just tweeted back to Edinburgh supporters club (who first said it) asking where they got that info from so sounds like a false alarm....

Seems unlikely, why would they pull out of their own tournament, they will want summer test matches not least for the income they generate, and would struggle to find other opponents at such short notice. The golden lions have their own set of fixtures to fulfil, making up their own "lions challenge"tournament including a game against Samoa,

http://www.allblacks.com/news/21373/Golden-Lions-release-glamour-2013-Challenge-fixtures

so maybe that's where the confusion is coming from

Sounds like a WUM to me. Can't see the IRB being too happy about that.

GC,

did you also see the bit in Kevin 'Smithers' Ferrie's piece where he made a rather astonishing claim that in 142 years no individual from a Glasgow state school had represented Scotland in the top XV ! Wrong surely - Al Kellock (Bishopbriggs High), Duncan Weir (Cathkin High), Bob Harley (Douglas Academy - I'm pushing it here as Milngavie is not really Glasgow and Matt Duncan was also a former pupil) and Jon Welsh is a Cathcart boy so I assume he was schooled in the South Side of Glasgow.
Anyone elucidate on this ?

Edinburgh supporters club have replied with a link to a Samoa Facebook page which makes this claim, but they have clearly seen their fixture against the lions on a fixture list and got the wrong end of the stick. This is a fixture that was always planned in addition to the quadrangular tournament, it takes place on the 1st of June and the tournament starts the following week. Samoa were never scheduled to play south Africa in the initial stages but may meet them in the final round depending on other results. So someone has seen a Samoa fixture list including lions, Scotland and Italy but no south Africa, and jumped to conclusions. False alarm.

So the people that wrote the article about the Samoa squad announcement got it wrong?

Yes I am pretty sure that will be what's happened!

C21 Ferret always offers well balanced reports, chip on both shoulders and all that, with limited regard to fact. If he was a poster I'd have him on ignore.

Pat_Mustard wrote:Yes I am pretty sure that will be what's happened!

Strong denial from SA - questions over whether the Samoa fb page is official

21st Century Schizoid Man wrote:GC,

did you also see the bit in Kevin 'Smithers' Ferrie's piece where he made a rather astonishing claim that in 142 years no individual from a Glasgow state school had represented Scotland in the top XV ! Wrong surely - Al Kellock (Bishopbriggs High), Duncan Weir (Cathkin High), Bob Harley (Douglas Academy - I'm pushing it here as Milngavie is not really Glasgow and Matt Duncan was also a former pupil) and Jon Welsh is a Cathcart boy so I assume he was schooled in the South Side of Glasgow.
Anyone elucidate on this ?

I did and I cannot believe that it's true.

I think it's David Guetta. He has no connection to Scotland and is currently working in a club.

Don't think Smith wants to move away from his family. Quite happy to see the back of hot toddy as I rate him as a coach as much as I rate him as a player. Or very little if that wasn't obvious.

Would hope for Scotland's sake its Mallett mckenzie or left field Jake white. All top class coaches and that's what Scotland needs. Why do I feel behind all this secrecy lies a big disappointment?

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:I think it's David Guetta. He has no connection to Scotland and is currently working in a club.

Don't think Smith wants to move away from his family. Quite happy to see the back of hot toddy as I rate him as a coach as much as I rate him as a player. Or very little if that wasn't obvious.

Would hope for Scotland's sake its Mallett mckenzie or left field Jake white. All top class coaches and that's what Scotland needs. Why do I feel behind all this secrecy lies a big disappointment?

Because it inevitably always does end up in massive disappointment, where the SRU are involved.