Regular readers will be in no doubt whatsoever about my admiration for Chris Paterson, one of the most professional sportsmen and admirable people I have encountered in a long career covering sport.

Confirmation this week that he was to be given an ambassadorial role with the Scottish Rugby Union while seeking to learn his trade as a coach, was to be widely welcomed, then.

Yet there was a jarring note with the news that his first task would not be in Scotland, but would involve being jetted around the world to start looking for coaching tips. With limited funding available for such opportunities, is it completely fair that such a highly-paid individual was the person selected to get this chance to be supported by a fund, the MacPhail Scholarship, which aims to develop domestic talent?

Paterson may have potential in this area, but those aspiring Scottish coaches who have been working hard in rugby clubs for the last few years seeking advancement might have been a bit surprised about Paterson's admission of how little he knew about coaching.

In fairness, my reaction might have been different had I not received an email, the previous day, from someone raising questions about why Scotland's out-going attack coach has been sent by his employers to New Zealand on what sounded like a similar mission. It did seem odd given that Gregor Townsend has three years of international experience and has been deemed such a prospect that it was worth sacking Sean Lineen to put him in charge of Glasgow Warriors.

The email indicated that there had been considerable coverage of Townsend's visit in the Kiwi press, but it was the first I had heard of it. There had been no announcement comparable to the way the SRU trumpeted Paterson's plans.

It was only fair to let them explain, however. The full text of their spokesperson's answer was as follows: "In advance of taking on the role of Glasgow Warriors head coach, Gregor Townsend has spent a short period of time in New Zealand working with and observing high-calibre coaches and clubs.

"He has had access to the coaching and playing set-up at the Chiefs, and has spent time with World Cup-winning coaches Wayne Smith and Graham Henry. He has also taken the opportunity to meet with new Warriors signings Angus Macdonald and Viliami Ma'afu to outline plans for the coming season and ensure they are in a position to hit the ground running upon arrival. The trip is seen by Scottish Rugby, Glasgow Warriors and Gregor Townsend as a valuable exercise from which the Warriors will ultimately benefit.

"Craig Chalmers is scheduled to undertake a similar CPD visit to Australia this summer, on the same basis as Gregor Townsend's recent trip. Glasgow Warriors elite development coach Iain Monaghan spent time with Canterbury's International High Performance Unit in New Zealand last summer as part of the Macphail Scholarship, having been nominated by an independent body, the Robertson Trust.

"Chris Paterson will travel to New Zealand on the same basis this summer, as will Scottish Rugby regional academy coach and Scotland under-16 assistant coach Ben Fisher."

So what appear to be perks seem to be on offer to a select few, some of whom have already taken substantial amounts out of Scottish rugby's coffers. In the meantime their peers and rivals must use their own ingenuity to acquire such opportunities, as Michael Bradley, the Irishman who is Edinburgh's head coach, did when he accepted Richie Dixon's invitation to work with him in Georgia.

Some may feel the situation invites comparison with the way executives of major financial institutions are under-going overdue scrutiny in what the City of London is describing as "The Shareholder Spring."

As we all know, Scottish rugby's shareholders are its clubs. Rather than directing further questions my way, I would point out to interested parties that the SRU's annual general meeting takes place next month.

I have long advocated greater rivalry between Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors, rather than the cosiness which leads both camps to describe any success enjoyed by the other as "good for Scottish rugby".

In a way, then, it was almost encouraging to realise that all was not as it initially seemed when an email dropped in the other day with the headline: "Warriors wing Penns deal for Edinburgh Rugby".

That first reaction had been to wonder which of Glasgow's players was moving along the M8 before the capital 'P' registered and the penny dropped. The Warriors in question were not the well-established Scottish outfit, but those from the English Premiership in the pretty market town of Worcester.

As someone who tends to view marketing with as much suspicion as public relations I claim no expertise in this area, but could this have been a spot of subliminal undermining from the capital as Scottish rugby's rivals seek to gain the upper hand in terms of brand identity?