Sean Lineen: Scottish Rugby exit announced for Glasgow Warriors' former coach and 1990 Grand Slam winner

Sean Lineen’s ‘amicable’ departure from Scottish Rugby has been announced, just three days before the 60th birthday of the ‘Kilted Kiwi’.

Sean Lineen was Scotland U20's coach in 2017 for the age-group Six Nations (Picture: SNS)

Lineen has spent more than three decades involved in Scottish rugby, as a player at Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh, as well as the national team, and most recently as an administrator of the game but has said “it is the right time to leave”.

It follows a review of the structure of Scottish Rugby’s High-Performance Department, overseen by Director of Performance Rugby, Jim Mallinder, who is aligning the department to Scottish Rugby’s new three-year strategy launched earlier this year.

“Over the last nine years, the work we’ve done to develop our young talent and the national age-grade programmes – not just with the under-20s but getting competitive programmes in place at under-16, under-17, and under-19 – has been the right way to go, for coaches as well as players,” Lineen said.

In 2019 he was Scottish Rugby head of academies. (Picture: SNS)

Lineen was a key player in Scotland’s 1990 Grand Slam and part of Frank Hadden’s national management team in 2005 and has recently been involved in youth rugby in Scotland and the FOSROC Super6.

“I will always be hugely enthusiastic and passionate about Scottish Rugby – everyone knows that.”

He intends to “take a wee breather” before deciding on his next steps. Before Scotland and rugby he was a police officer in New Zealand then moved to Scotland in “the best decision I ever made in life”.

Scottish Rugby’s Chief Executive Mark Dodson said: “We sincerely thank Sean for the dedication and commitment he has shown Scottish Rugby over the decades and look forward to seeing him at BT Murrayfield matches in the future.”

Director of Performance Rugby Jim Mallinder added: “Sean has contributed a huge amount to Scottish Rugby over the last 30 plus years, first as a player, then as a coach.

“Over the last nine years, combining roles of coach and administrator, he has put his stamp on the development of our young talent and the national age-grade programmes – not just with the under-20s but developing programmes at under-16, under-17, and under-19 levels.

“I know it’s been a hard decision for him to make and he leaves with sincere thanks and affection from all corners of the game.”

Lineen, married to wife Lynne, turns 60 on December 25.

Get a year of unlimited access to all The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today