Gregor Townsend will be offered a two-year extension to his contract as Scotland head coach, according to a report.
It is understood that final discussions between Townsend and Mark Dodson, Scottish Rugby’s chief executive, have yet to take place. And as yet Murrayfield has no firm timetable for any announcement, with a date only following the conclusion of negotiations, whether successful or otherwise.
A spokesperson for Scottish Rugby declined to comment on the report, citing the confidentiality of discussions between employee and employer. However, it appears that Dodson’s lengthy statement this week to BBC Scotland - in which he insisted that any new offer to Townsend would be far from a rubber-stamping exercise - was made with the imminence of such an offer in mind.
Having said virtually nothing in public on the issue for some time, Dodson did not need to break his silence at this time. His decision to do so seems designed to ensure a positive reception for an announcement that Townsend is staying on in a post he has held since 2017 beyond its currently scheduled expiry after this autumn’s Rugby World Cup.
"We've had a process this time looking at what is the right voice to take us forward from 2023 onwards," Dodson said. "It's been less about Gregor's track record in what he's done in tournaments up until the Six Nations and about what's right for this group of players, who are going to be in transition from '23 to '27. What's the right voice?
"As part of that we've done a huge amount of due diligence. We've spoken to coaches all over the globe about how they see Scotland and, if they were able to do the job, how would they undertake the task.”
Leon MacDonald, head coach of the Blues in New Zealand, is one person with whom Scottish Rugby has been in contact. Last night’s report said that Warren Gatland, now head coach of Wales, was another.
