Scottish coaches selected for 6 Nations Conference

Six Scottish coaches have been selected to attend the annual 6 Nations Coaching Conference to further their development in coaching performance rugby. Coaches from across the club game and Scotland’s international age-grade sides will travel to Lyon, France, to share experiences and knowledge with similar participants from the other five nations from Thursday 12 May until Sunday 15 May. All six coaches have followed Scottish Rugby’s coach development programme and are UKCC Level 3 qualified with Roddy Grant currently undertaking the qualification. Neil Graham, Scottish Rugby’s coach development manager, said: “The 6 Nations Conference is a vital part of the support which is offered to our performance coaches throughout the BT Premiership, international age-grade and professional rugby. The conference is a great opportunity for all of the selected coaches to further develop their knowledge of performance rugby and share their experiences of the game with coaches from across Europe.”The six coaches who have been selected this year have already experienced coaching at a high-level and will all benefit from attending the conference.” Nikki Walker (Hawick), Andy Henderson (Strathallan and Scotland under-18), David Adamson (Stirling County), Colin Philips (BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy and Scotland under-16), Graham Shiel (BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy and Scotland under-16), and Roddy Grant (London Scottish and Edinburgh Rugby) will all attend the conference. Walker, a former Scotland international and current player coach for BT Premiership side Hawick, enjoyed a successful playing career with Ospreys, Worcester Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby. The 34-year-old won the RaboDirect twice with Ospreys and was also part of the Hawick side who won the domestic double in 2001/2. Henderson, Director of Rugby at Strathallan School, coached the schools’ under-16 team to a shared Scottish Rugby Schools Cup title with George Watson’s College this season and is the current Scotland under-18 assistant coach.Adamson was appointed head coach of BT Premiership side Stirling County at the start of the 2015/16 season and continues to coach Edinburgh University. A former Scotland under-21 player, he previously represented Heriot’s and London Scottish. Philips is the current BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy coach for Caledonia and Scotland under-16 development coach, with Shiel, the former Scotland 7s head coach currently overseeing the BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy in Glasgow and the West as well as the Scotland Women 7s squad through his role as head coach. Grant, a former Edinburgh Rugby and Scotland 7s player, joined London Scottish as a defence coach this season after announcing his retirement from the game.