Dalziel leaves Scotland Sevens to take Glasgow assistant coach role

Scotland Sevens coach John Dalziel has been confirmed as the new Glasgow forwards coach, taking up the new post with immediate effect.

Jonathan Humphreys is due to leave at the end of the season to join the post- World Cup Wales set- up and Dalziel will take up duties at Scotstoun ahead of the Guinness Pro14 semi- final a week on Friday, with f ormer captain S cott Forrest replacing him in temporary charge of the national S e ve ns s quad f or t he t wo remaining legs of this season’s World Rugby Sevens Series in London and Paris.

The SRU said that the search is now under way for a new head coach of the national Sevens squad. Dalziel led Melrose to three championships before coaching Scotland Under- 20s, a spell at London Scottish and then taking on the Sevens job in 2017.

Dalziel said: “I have always been clear in my ambition to coach at a professional level and my experiences so far at Melrose, London Scottish, age- grades and sevens have all led to that goal. I’ve worked with many of the Glasgow players through the age- grade system or sevens so I’m very much looking forward to this new stage of my career.”

Glasgow will find out tonight who their opponents will be in Friday’s semi- final as Ulster host Connacht in the Pro14 quarter- finals in Belfast. Rory Mcilroy will start the weekend at least five shots off the lead at the Wells Fargo International after suffering a disappointing finish to his second round.

MCI l r o y, who s h a r e d top spot after an opening 66, looked set for another good day as he moved to nine under heading into the final two holes at Quail Hollow, having carded five birdies and just one bogey.

But the Northern Irishman, pi c t ured, s l i pped back towards the chasing pack after dropping three shots on the last two parfours and having to settle for a one- under- par 70.

That saw the world No 4 drop back to six under overall and left him five shots adrift of clubhouse leader Jason Dufner. The Ameri c a n f o l - lowed his o p e n i n g 6 8 w i t h a n e i g h t - under- par 63 as he moved to 11 under.

Max Homa also signed for a 63 to sit alongside Joel Dahmen in joint second place on ten under. Dahmen, who was overnight leader with Mcilroy, shot a second successive 66.

Martin Laird, who was tied for third overnight, slipped back to joint tenth after the Scot carded a 71 to finish at four under.

Elsewhere, Spain’s Nuria Iturrios claimed back- toback wins on the Ladies European Tour with victory in the inaugural Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic as Scotland’s Carly Booth secured at top- ten finish.

Just five days after winning t he Lalla Mer yem Cup i n Morocco f or t he second time, Iturrios carded a closing 71 at Emirates Golf Club to finish on ten under par, a shot ahead of the German pair of Esther Henseleit and Olivia Cowan in the world’s first ever professional day- night golf tournament.

Booth carded a closing 67 – her lowest score of the three- round event – to finish seventh on six under, while f el l ow S cot Kylie Henry ended on two over.

Iturrios became the first player to capture consecutive titles since Aditi Ashok at t he Indian and Qatar Opens in 2016.