GREGOR Townsend will take over as national head coach next summer after Scottish Rugby decided to move early to secure his services. The 43-year-old will remain in charge of Glasgow Warriors for a fifth and final season before succeeding Vern Cotter in the hot seat at BT Murrayfield next June. Both Townsend and Cotter are currently in contract until the summer of 2017.
“I am incredibly proud to take on the Scotland head coach role at the end of the season,” said Townsend, who has been Warriors coach since 2012 and led the team to the PRO12 title last year. “It is a real honour to be given the responsibility of coaching the national team and I look forward to working with such an impressive group of players.
“I'd like to thank Scottish Rugby for this opportunity and also the supporters, players and staff at Glasgow Warriors for their support over the past four years. My focus is firmly on the season ahead with Glasgow and I will be doing all I can to help the club continue to progress this year.”
Townsend was linked with both French and English clubs before signing his current contract with Glasgow, and Scottish Rugby were eager to ensure that they did not lose him. The decision to secure a planned succession outweighed any hypothetical worry about either coach being seen as a lame duck during his final season in charge.
“Gregor's abilities as a head coach are evident and he is increasingly becoming one of the most sought-after coaches in the game,” Scottish Rugby chief executive Mark Dodson said yesterday. “I have been charged with developing Scottish coaches and believe the time is now right to secure Gregor's talents, as we build towards the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
"Vern Cotter has made a considerable impact on the development of the Scotland national side during his tenure. He has helped instil self-belief, determination and put a lot of pride into the jersey for players and fans alike and for this, both myself, and Scottish Rugby would like to thank him for this significant contribution to the game in Scotland.
"We will continue to work with Vern in the season ahead as we are both determined to have a successful autumn test series and 2017 RBS 6 Nations. However, the board and I now believe the time is right to take the development of the national team forward with Gregor.”
Cotter has been Scotland coach since May 2014. He led the team to the quarter-finals of last year’s Rugby World Cup.
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