If things go well at Clermont Auvergne and Vern Cotter consequently does not take over as Scotland head coach until June 2014, he will have around 18 months in which to achieve the Scottish Rugby Union's strategic target of winning the 2015 World Cup.
However, a great deal can happen in 18 months, as immediate history suggests:
December 2011 The Ospreys announce that Scott Johnson is leaving them at the end of the season. The following day the SRU announce that, as part of the bid to recover from Scotland's worst ever World Cup, he is joining head coach Andy Robinson's management team as an attack consultant, a department of the team that has failed miserably for years.
February 2012 Johnson announces that he and the Ospreys board have decided he can leave with immediate effect but he is still not joining the Scotland coaching team until the end of the season.
March The SRU confirm that Graham Steadman, the defence coach who is considered to have done a fine job, has been sacked. He is to be replaced by Matt Taylor, the former Scotland A player who is not, unfortunately, able to join them until fulfilling his Queensland Reds commitments.
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