Townsend rejigs his coaching team ahead of upcoming Six Nations campaign

Pete Horne has been named as a permanent member of the Scotland set-up as an assistant coach, the Scottish Rugby Union has confirmed.

Horne has agreed a deal to become a specialist in the attack and contact area. The 34-year-old worked alongside head coach Gregor Townsend during the Six Nations and World Cup earlier this year and will relinquish his backroom role with Glasgow Warriors, combining with Townsend and fellow assistant coaches Steve Tandy, John Dalziel and Pieter de Villiers as preparation begins for next year.

The move signals the end of Brad Mooar’s time with the Scotland coaching team. The SRU confirmed that the New Zealander “will not work with the squad going forward”.

Pete Horne will specialise in the attack and contact area in his new role with Scotland.

A former Scotland international who won 45 caps playing at stand-off and centre, Horne retired in 2021 and has gone on to be head coach of Ayrshire Bulls, before working as assistant coach at Glasgow Warriors. His departure from Scotstoun will leave a position vacant as skills coach in Franco Smith’s set-up.

“Coaching the Scotland team in the last year has been a privilege and a massive opportunity for me to work on the biggest stage,” said Horne. “To have the chance to continue that in a full-time capacity is something I’m relishing. My time coaching with Ayrshire Bulls and Glasgow Warriors has helped me prepare for my experiences with the national team and I have taken a lot of learnings from the past year. Working with this talented group of players greatly motivates me as a coach, as does the potential of this squad. I can’t wait to meet up with the players and management in 2024 and make further progress.”

Townsend added: “Pete is a very talented coach and has a great relationship with the players. He has also complemented the dynamic within the coaching group since joining us at the start of the year and brings valuable insight. I have been very impressed with his coaching style and the ideas he brings to the table. He has brought a lot of value this year working with us and for him to take on the role full-time will be of great benefit to the players. I look forward to working with him on the attack side of our game. I’d like to thank Brad for his help in the last year and we wish him well for the future.”

Scotland are next in action on Saturday, February 3, when they take on Wales in their 2024 Six Nations opener in Cardiff.

Pete Horne given permanent role in Scotland coaching set-up as Brad Mooar's exit confirmed