Whatever the outcome at Invercargill's Rugby Park today, the two head coaches will be able to compare notes on their shared experience after Englishman Andy Robinson's Scotland has done battle with Scot Richie Dixon's Georgia.

Their playing careers -- Dixon represented Scotland A while Robinson won a few caps for England -- having taken place exclusively in the amateur era when such a turn of events would have been all but unthinkable, they have both had to make significant adjustments to their thinking in pursuing their careers.

Both have always been open to change, though, which is emphasised in the way their coaching career paths first crossed. Then, as Robinson was embarking on his coaching career, Dixon, at the time the Scotland coach, was the first to give him an insight into taking charge of a national team.

An approach having been made through Andy Nicol, the Scotland scrum-half who would become the first British captain to lift the Heineken Cup when playing for Bath under Robinson, Dixon was happy to allow the former England flanker to come and study the Scots in training.

“I was really grateful for the opportunity Richie gave me to do that,” Robinson said yesterday. It was very much in keeping with Dixon’s openness which also led to him helping to coach Tonga to World Cup qualification in 1995, only to be somewhat disturbed when they were drawn in the same pool as the Scotland team for which he was forwards coach.

On that occasion, Dixon enjoyed the upper hand when the teams met but, even at that time, he could never have envisaged the situation he finds himself in today with professionalism making national allegiance irrelevant when it comes to who is coaching whom.

Already at this tournament Eddie O’Sullivan, who coached Ireland at the 2007 World Cup, gave his countrymen a fright as the USA team he now has charge of, pushed them all the way in their opener.

Robbie Deans, the former All Black, is head coach of Australia’s Wallabies, who are widely viewed as the greatest threat to a home win, while other prominent mercenaries are Nick Mallett, the former Springboks head coach now working with Italy; John Kirwan, the great All Black winger who is now in charge of Japan; Steve McDowall, his 1987 World Cup-winning team-mate, who is Romania’s forwards coach; and Warren Gatland, yet another New Zealander, who is Wales’ head coach.

All of which made it seem a rather unfair question yesterday when Gregor Townsend, Scotland’s attack coach, was asked by an English journalist whether he could do what Dixon is doing in coaching a team against his own country.

“That’s a difficult one,” he mused, before continuing diplomatically: “It depends where the opportunities come, I suppose. Richie’s an excellent coach; I was coached by him for a number of years and he helped me a lot as an individual. I loved playing for him because he certainly wanted to move the game on playing fast rugby. We played a really innovative style, especially in 1996, and you see that through the way the Georgians are playing.

“In their game against Romania [earlier this year], they won the forward battle, but they were still trying to move the ball on. The backs are doing much more in terms of attacking and passing the ball, but the platform is going forward and Richie likes getting his team going forward.

“He might have certain mixed feeling when he hears the anthem tomorrow, but I’m sure he’ll be preparing the team as best he can and we know we’re up against a huge challenge.”

Not that seeing him go through that will be a novel experience for Townsend exactly, considering that he is working alongside Englishmen Robinson and Graham Steadman, the defence coach, who will both be trying to upset their countrymen for by no means the first time at the end of this Pool B campaign.

“I’m sure they’ll have an interesting chat after the game,” Townsend reckoned. “Andy was very passionate when we played England this year so I’m sure Richie will be just as passionate tomorrow.”