Q & A What’s in store for club and country?
Was Danny Wilson the first and only man considered? Why didn’t the SRU spread their net wider? It seems the appointment was a fait accompli from the moment it became clear Dave Rennie was a wanted man. In truth, Wilson didn’t make the impact Gregor Townsend expected him to in his short time with Scotland and it made sense for the Englishman to move on. The SRU have a reputation for not sacking people but, instead, moving them into other jobs. When Rennie revealed he was joining Australia at the end of the season, it was an opportunity to move Wilson on.
Why are so many Glasgow fans underwhelmed by the appointment? They don’t see it as a like-forlike replacement. Supporters were rightly excited when Rennie, already recognised as a world-class coach, agreed to join Glasgow after a hugely successful career in club rugby in New Zealand. Rightly or wrongly, many see Wilson’s appointment as a cut-price deal as he was still under contract with the SRU and no compensation was required to get him.
Does Wilson have the experience and coaching talent to win the fans over? Only time will tell but it won’t be easy. He did lead Cardiff Blues to a 2018 European Challenge Cup final win over Gloucester and was so highly rated that Wasps appointed him as their forwards coach before reluctantly allowing him to leave before he had even taken a training session to join the Scotland set-up.
Is there a danger the SRU’s decision to wait until the end of the season before letting Wilson take over at Scotstoun could backfire? A massive one. There is an argument to be made to make the change now. Or at the very least get Wilson in now to shadow Rennie. After all, how often has it happened in the past when players shut off or stop performing once they realise their head coach is going at the end of the season?
In what state will Rennie leave Warriors? In not as good shape as he found them in terms of quality players. In his time in charge, fly-half Finn Russell and full-back Stuart Hogg have both left the club but the SRU haven’t opened their pockets wide enough for him to bring in
quality replacements. Winger Tommy Seymour is the new first choice Glasgow full-back this season through necessity. Adam Hastings is first choice fly-half with Peter Horne, who usually plays centre, his main back up.
Will Wilson get the money to strengthen from the SRU next season? There is no reason why he shouldn’t as the SRU are due a £35m windfall after a private equity company bought a minority share in the Pro14. With only two professional clubs, a big chunk of that should be released to spend on players but there is no guarantee that will happen.
What happens to Glasgow’s current forwards coach John Dalziel? You would like to think he will be allowed to get on with his job. He is highly respected by the Glasgow players and Wilson would do well to take a step back and simply stick to tactics and picking the team.
Who else does Wilson inherit from Rennie at Scotstoun and will they stay? There is every chance backs coach Jason O’Halloran will join Rennie at Australia as he is highly rated by his fellow New Zealander. Many fans saw O’Halloran as a better choice than Wilson for the top job. If he goes, Mike Blair could leave the Scotland set-up to return to Glasgow in that role. Former Ayr coach Kenny Murray will remain as defence coach and scrum coach Petrus Du Plessis will also remain in that role.
Who will replace Wilson as Scotland forwards coach and how quickly will the appointment be made? There is no point in Townsend rushing to find a successor as Wilson will remain with the national side until after the Six Nations. If Scotland don’t finish at least third then Townsend could be out of a job and the decision on replacing Wilson will be out of his hands.