Scottish Rugby wasted no time in replacing outgoing Glasgow Warriors head coach Dave Rennie with Scotland assistant coach Danny Wilson named as the man to take the club on at the end of this season.
With Rennie confirmed as the new head coach of Australia late on Tuesday night, Scottish Rugby named Wilson as his successor yesterday morning. Both men will stay in their current roles until the end of this season.
Wilson (43) joined the Scotland international management team in August of last year after a three-year spell as head coach of the Cardiff Blues. Prior to that he had spells with the Dragons and Scarlets with eight years’ experience in total in the Guinness PRO14, as well as a successful spell as head coach of Wales Under-20s, when his teams beat New Zealand and reached the Junior World Cup Final in 2013.
Wilson built a reputation for a free-running style with the Blues, taking them to victory in the European Challenge Cup. He originally moved from there to Wasps, but when the Scotland forwards role became available he was released from his deal there to come to Murrayfield.
“The opportunity to coach such an attractive club as Glasgow Warriors was too good to miss,” he said. “I’ve been extremely impressed with Scottish system in recent years and I’m looking forward to working with an exciting and talented squad of players at Warriors.
“I want to build on the high-tempo style of play that I know the fans love and pay to see week in, week out. The club has been challenging at the top end of the Guinness PRO14 on a regular basis and as a coach it is that type of environment and culture you want to be involved in.
“I took a huge amount of learnings from the time I have spent with Scotland through the Guinness Six Nations and Rugby World Cup and I’m thankful for that experience, which can only add to how I take on a new Head Coach role with Glasgow.”
Scottish Rugby Chief Executive, Mark Dodson, said: “We are very pleased Danny has accepted this important role at Glasgow Warriors as it retains an excellent coach within the Scottish professional game.
“Danny has worked hard to develop Scotland’s set-piece into a real area of strength and his technical expertise, aligned with his working knowledge of many of the Warriors’ players, will be key to maintain the club’s progression in the coming years.
“He has a depth of experience from previous roles with PRO14 teams and we feel this, alongside his recent international coaching, makes him the right person for the club at this time.
“I’d like to thank Danny for his contribution to the Scotland team and wish him well as we continue our ambitious plans to make both Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh as competitive and successful as possible in their respective competitions.”
Wilson will continue in his role with Scotland through the 2020 Guinness Six Nations Championship, but will be involved in recruitment and planning processes at Glasgow moving forward.
Scotland have also confirmed the three-test summer tour in 2020 which will see them be the first to play the new world champions South Africa and play a test in New Zealand for the first time in 20 years.
The Scots will meet the Springboks on July 4 and 11, with venues still to be confirmed. They will play the All Blacks in Dunedin on July 11.
