No job offer from Scotland but I’m interested, says Steve Scott

By DAVID FERGUSON
Published on 31/12/2012 00:00

FORMER Scotland hooker Steve Scott has poured water on speculation that he is Scotland’s new forwards coach, but admitted he would be interested in the post.

The 39-year-old former Scotland specialist coach was at Saturday’s 1872 Cup match, sitting beside Scotland’s new interim head coach Scott Johnson. However, he told The Scotsman that any suggestion that he had been appointed as Johnson’s new 
assistant was at best premature.

He said: “I have not been offered a contract. I was just there watching the game and catching up with a lot of guys I know from my time with the SRU because I’m back in Scotland seeing the family for Christmas. I was keen to see the Edinburgh-
Glasgow game and I caught up with Gav Scott [Scotland team manager] and other boys I worked closely with when I was at the SRU, and they invited me to watch the game with them.

“I haven’t worked with Scott [Johnson] before, but I know him fairly well from his visits to Sale to see Scottish players, and, of course, as a proud Scot, I would love to work with the Scotland squad again.”

It is believed that the SRU are looking to bring a Scot into the coaching set-up to work with Johnson, Matt Taylor, the defence coach, and Massimo Cuttitta, through the RBS Six Nations Championship and the summer tournament in South Africa,.

Former internationalists Scott and Carl Hogg at Gloucester are obvious contenders and while Hogg is unlikely to be released by the English club for an interim post, Scott is currently a free agent. The former Melrose and Gala hooker started a player/coaching career with Selkirk before joining the SRU and working with players from age-grade levels to pro and international on specialist set-piece skills.

He left Scotland to become forwards coach at Sale for two years, and coached Scotland ‘A’ to victory against England this year, before Sharks executive director Steve Diamond took over the reins and released Scott after Sale’s poor start to this season