London Scottish and Scottish Rugby are pleased to announce that Scotland under-20 and Melrose Head Coach John Dalziel has been appointed as forwards coach for the 2016/17 season.
The Melrose stalwart – who represented Scottish from 1997 to 1998 – won three BT Premiership titles and the BT Scottish Cup as a coach, and guided the age-grade side to impressive wins in the recent Six Nations against England and Italy before securing a joint best-ever finish in the 2016 World Rugby under-20 Championship (8th), including a first ever win over Australia.
Dalziel said: “I have been presented with a fantastic opportunity for me to challenge myself at this stage in my life and my coaching career.
“It’s the start of a new chapter and I look forward to joining such an ambitious club at this exciting time.”
Dalziel joins Scottish Rugby Head of International Age-grade Rugby Sean Lineen (London Scottish Director of Rugby) in the latest development of the performance partnership between the governing body and the English Championship club.
The pair coached Scotland under-20 together for three seasons (2013-2015) before Dalziel took on the leading role in 2016, when Lineen was appointed Head of International Age-Grades, a role he retains along side his London duties.
The Lineen and Dalziel partnership extended to the Barbarians last year in a one-off match against BT Premiership side Heriot’s, adding to the vast experience they bring alongside London Scottish Head Coach Peter Richards, to complete the coaching group for the upcoming campaign.
Lineen said: “John [Dalziel] has enjoyed a lot of success in Scotland’s BT Premiership, and has been in the international under-20 programme for a number of years, so this appointment is another important step in his coaching career.
“Scottish Rugby’s partnership with London Scottish is helping us further develop our pathway for aspiring young coaches, as well as aspiring young players, that need game time at a certain level to help them progress into the professional environment.
“It’s a big commitment, an excellent opportunity and I’m delighted he’s taking it on.”
