Gregor Townsend to replace Vern Cotter as Scotland coach in 2017

The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) has announced that Gregor Townsend will take over the role of head coach of Scotland next year.

The 43-year-old will now replace Vern Cotter, whose contract with the SRU ends by June 2017. Townsend has worked as the Backs and Attack coach of the Scotland team between 2009 and 2012 before he was appointed as the head coach of Glasgow Warriors.

Under Townsend, Glasgow went on to win the 2014/15 season of Pro12 becoming the first Scotland side to clinch the title while they finished as runners-up in the 2013/14 season as well.

SRU chief executive Mark Dodson stated that the board wants to capitalise the man-management skills of Townsend with reports emerging that he had turned down a number of offers including a head coach position at Harlequins.

"We have been planning this for some time," Dodson said in an interview on the Scottish Rugby YouTube channel.

"The market for outstanding coaches in the world has changed and the reason we are going this early is to make sure that we are able to secure the talents of Gregor, and also to make sure there's a transition in place that benefits the Scottish team as a whole.

"He's an outstanding coach and he's in demand across the world."

Townsend will also become the first Scotland based coach in eight years to take charge of the national team. During his playing career, the Galashiels born former fly-half, has represented Scotland 82 times scoring 164 points while he has also gone on to make appearances for Barbarians and British and Irish Lions.

"He's the first Scottish coach of his generation that has the ability to become the Scotland head coach.

"He has been nurtured here through Scottish Rugby over the last five years through the success he has had at Glasgow, winning the Pro12 title but also making Glasgow Warriors an outstanding and competitive team.

"We feel this is the right time for him to join us between the World Cup cycles and take us to Japan and beyond.," added Dodson.

Dodson also lauded the effort of Cotter under who Scotland made huge progress especially in the last two years, when they went on to reach the quarter-final of the 2015 World Cup while they also registered their first two victories in the history of the Six Nations tournament in 2016. Scotland also had a successful tour of Japan where they defeated the Brave Blossoms 2-0.

"Vern has done a magnificent job. He's put some real starch into the team. I think he's done the simple things well and re-emphasised the basics and the skillsets, and developed the team as a whole.

"You can see the team has a stronger shape and plays in a characteristic fashion that people enjoy and respond to. And I'm sure Gregor can build on that."