Scott Johnson to leave Scottish Rugby

Following negotiations between Scottish Rugby and Rugby Australia a satisfactory compensation package was agreed to enable Johnson to leave his Director of Rugby role in Scotland before the end of his existing contract.

Scottish Rugby Chief Executive, Mark Dodson said: “Scott has made a significant contribution to the development of elite rugby in Scotland and he leaves with our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the work he has done. His unrivalled global rugby knowledge and connections at every level of the game have hugely benefitted the development of how our game in Scotland has progressed in recent years, be that working with head coaches, forming partnerships beyond our borders and establishing Scottish Rugby’s high performance department to the level it is today.

“He leaves with our best wishes for the next stage of his career.”

Scott Johnson said: “This has been a big decision but for me, right now, it is the right one to make. From the outset I’ve wanted to make Scotland more competitive on the world stage on all levels. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some highly talented and committed people and together I think we have made progress in those areas and hope that will continue in the years ahead.

“I’ve loved my time in Scotland and I’d like to thank Mark Dodson and the Board for their support throughout. I won’t be leaving Scottish Rugby until after the Six Nations, where I’m looking forward to see how all our teams perform. It’s been a great six years and I’ve enjoyed the challenge.”

Scott Johnson joined Scottish Rugby in 2012 as part of Andy Robinson’s national team coaching group and became Interim Head Coach in 2013 for the Six Nations and Summer Tour that year following Robinson’s resignation. Johnson took on the role of Director of Rugby – with a high performance remit – in May 2013 as Robinson’s successor was recruited and plans put in place for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Following the appointment of Vern Cotter as Scotland Head Coach Johnson oversaw the development of the Scottish Rugby Academy, the sevens and Age-Grade and Scottish Qualified programmes, alongside the day to day management of the Performance Dept and the respective medical, physio, analysis and S&C provision for the professional and male and female national teams.

Johnson has been instrumental in, and responsible for, securing the services of a series of head coach roles during his tenure, including those of Vern Cotter, Dave Rennie and Richard Cockerill, alongside providing the coaching pathway for aspiring Scottish coaches through the age-grades, women’s rugby, assistant coach and 7s team roles. He also provided a vital link in the recruitment and retention of players from both within and beyond Scotland.