Ewen McKenzie yesterday insisted that he will not be the next Scotland head coach.
Murrayfield's hierarchy set the ball rolling on Sunday with the claim that they have appointed a new head coach but that they could not reveal his identity at the moment.
Having already indicated that he will leave Queensland Reds at the end of the season, McKenzie – who led them to their only Super Rugby title two years ago when Matt Taylor, now Scotland and Glasgow Warriors defence coach was in that role there – was an obvious candidate.
However, he said: "It's not me. I knew another Aussie had taken over the high-performance role in directing Scottish rugby, but that's it."
Attention will now shift across the Tasman to Todd Blackadder, under some pressure as Canterbury Crusaders head coach but who remains enormously popular in Scotland. Blackadder's superb stint with Edinburgh a decade ago led to a brief spell of helping coach the national team then.
Wayne Smith, who as head coach appointed Blackadder to the captaincy of both the Crusaders and the All Blacks, is the other obvious contender, having spent time in Scotland offering coaching master classes earlier this season.
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