IN two days' time Sean Lineen will bow out as head coach of Scotland's under-20s before moving on to a role within Scottish Rugby with overall responsibility for the international age-grade game.
The New Zealand-born 53-year old, part of Scotland's 1990 grand slam team, will leave his post knowing he has taken the Under-20 team to new heights, first with an impressive third place at this year's Six Nations and then at the 2015 World Championship with a best finishing place of at least eighth and a first ever win over Argentina at this age level.
Talking to Lineen you get the immediate impression that his time with the Under-20s has formed his ideas of what needs to be done to improve matters. If he can bring the same infectious enthusiasm and the same technical nous to his new role then there is reason to be optimistic about Scottish age-grade rugby
Speaking at the team base in Castenedolo ahead of Scotland's game against Ireland on Saturday, Lineen outlined several of his aims. He said: "The big thing we need to do is identify players, get the selection right, get more players and more teams. Rather than having just one team we should look at having two national teams at, for example, Under-16 level, just to get more kids playing the game.
"We have to develop them and look at their coaching. We have some good young coaches in Scotland. It's great that the Academy games will be kicking off at Under-16, Under-18, and Under-20 [in August/September]. It's great having these kids playing against each other representing Caledonia, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Borders. Ideally, we'd like to have two teams in each district so that you would then have eight teams playing."
As to the specifics of preparing the Under-20s, Lineen believes the change to the domestic season will contribute. He said: "The Premiership season finishing in January will certainly help, because they will have had a good hit at Premiership rugby and they will have been well coached. Then come the New Year we can start building towards the Six Nations.
"This year we played a Glasgow/Edinburgh A side and then went straight into the first of the Six Nations games against France. The French had been training since August for one week each month at their national centre with full-time national coaches.
"You look at other countries and see what they are doing. We can't be left behind. New Zealand have seven players in every position. All school teams are fully professional. All 32 schools [in the national competition] have analysts, all have directors of rugby, head coaches, even agents and scouts. It's ridiculous."
Whether Lineen can effect immediate change remains to be seen but having set a higher standard this year, the former Scotland centre is certainly determined to bring about a new culture and, who knows, some much-needed success.
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