Life had become worryingly quiet of late for those of us who feed greedily on the SRU's propensity to make a dog's breakfast of its own affairs, but the governing body was clearly determined to make up for lost time in its calamitously bungled handling of Gregor Townsend's appointment as Glasgow Warriors' head coach and Sean Lineen's removal from the same post.
If there was a guiding hand behind it all then the fingerprints must have belonged to Mr Bean. From whatever angle you examined the affair, this was a pig's backside of a management exercise. It was ill-conceived, messy and horribly badly timed. If you think the Scotland players are guilty of hamfistedness at time, you should take a look at the guys who pay their wages.
The sharp-suited SRU chief executive Mark Dodson and performance director Graham Lowe tried their best to put a professional gloss on it all, but they might just as well have been wearing donkey masks as they faced the press at Scotstoun yesterday. Only one bloke came out of that gathering with any dignity whatsoever, and that was Lineen himself.
The soon-to-be former head coach is generally affable in the face of adversity, so his stony-faced expression gave the lie to the Murrayfield claim that everything was just tickety-boo for the Warriors. The truth of the matter was that they had just pulled the rug out from beneath one of the most decent and well-liked guys in the game – and he was in no mood to dignify their cheesy presentation by going along with the act.
And yet, Lineen's passion for the game at which he excelled as a player – winning 29 Scotland caps and cementing himself into rugby folklore as a member of the 1990 Grand Slam team – was never likely to be obliterated by such setbacks as an outbreak of institutional buffoonery at the other end of the M8. Lineen had no sooner swallowed his obvious disappointment before he was back to enthusing about the sport and his new role as the Union's heid bummer on the talent identification front.
After all, it's not such a bad gig being asked to trawl the globe identifying players who might boast that precious combination of raw rugby talent and a willingness to throw in their lot with Scotland. And as Lineen himself had those two things in spades when he first pitched up in these parts almost a quarter of a century ago, it has to be said he is well qualified for the role.
And anyway, Sean, at least the gig means you'll get paid to visit your folks back in New Zealand every now and then? The suggestion drew a conspiratorial smile (as do references to that never-quite-nailed-down grandfather from Stornoway from whom Lineen inherited Scottish eligibility) but he did point out there might be more to the job than that.
"New Zealand is a place I will go to, without a shadow of doubt," he answered. "But I expect to make at least one visit to each major country. It's more to do with contacts really. Remember, we also have this wonderful thing called the internet at the moment. And the phone.
"It's really about creating and formalising a network around the world. Look at England and how many foreign born players they now have [seven in the starting lineup against France on Sunday]. They've got more players than almost any country in the world, so if they have to do it then it makes sense that we do too."
It also makes sense that the job should be done properly. Whatever the rights and wrongs of Wales' claim on London Irish centre Stephen Shingler, the SRU were unquestionably at fault for their failure to carry out full background and playing checks on the player before he was named in the Scotland Six Nations squad in January.
"We have to make sure the homework is done," Lineen agreed. "Every 'i' has to be dotted and every 't' has to be crossed."
So what's he looking for out there in planet rugby? "It's not so much a numbers game, it's more a quality game," he said. "They've got to be good.
"That's where succession planning comes in. If a coach says that in two years time he's going to need a 12, then I hope I'll be able to give him five names and a list of strengths and weaknesses of each player."
Lineen's remit will also include identifying and nurturing the best young home-grown players he can find. He said: "first and foremost it's about Scotland, within Scotland. Where is the next Stuart Hogg, the next Duncan Weir, the next Richie Gray? We have to look at our own talent first."
Let's hope he's a ringing success. Lord knows, his employers need one of those right now.
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