EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS REPORTS

BILL LOTHIAN


FORMER Scotland A coach Graham Hogg was today being lined-up for a shock move to the job of director of rugby at Murrayfield.

While Hogg, 56, a civil service lawyer in Edinburgh, declined to comment on speculation, the Evening News understands that a move to persuade him to return to the inner sanctum of Scottish rugby which he effectively quit in protest at policies three years ago is now underway.


If - and as yet it remains a big if - Hogg, twice capped for Scotland as a replacement in the 1970s out of the Boroughmuir club he joined from his native Hawick, agrees to a career u-turn then it is bound to be a bitter blow to acting director of rugby, Richie Dixon. He today refused to comment other than to confirm that he had applied for a post made vacant by the departure of Ian McGeechan to London Wasps at the end of last season.

There is no doubt, though, the likely emergence of Hogg as the supremo for domestic rugby affairs will cause ripples across the club scene.

While Dixon has moved into the national set-up after extensive stints at grassroots level, Hogg is still very much involved at the Currie club he helped become established in the top flight after a remarkable rise stretching back to formation in 1970.

Despite this commitment he also found time to coach Scotland A to a shadow Grand Slam in 1998 while piloting Edinburgh in the early days of the European Cup. In 2002 Hogg's association with the governing body came to an abrupt end when he took exception to being ordered to include Brendan Laney in a Scotland A team just a few days after the New Zealand-reared, Scots-qualified star had been flown in. Laney had not previously played a game in his newly-adopted country.

This determined streak is known to have won Hogg many admirers in high places and, with a changing of the guard at Murrayfield, it seems his strong-willed approach is now valued more highly than for some time.

Meanwhile, the SRU acted in unison today to deny that the currently advertised post of full-time coach would be held open until after the three match Autumn Test series featuring Samoa, Argentina and New Zealand in November.

And one official went so far as to predict an appointment - Edinburgh's Frank Hadden remains a favourite especially after his team's opening Celtic League win at Llanelli last week - might be expected next week. An SRU spokesman said: "The first international squad session is due to take place on October 3 and it would be expected that the new coach determines who takes part. That means giving players notice and from that point of view it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect an announcement next week."

Chairman Allan Munro declined to comment on possible appointments other that to see that plans were proceeding so that a coach "will be in place before the Autumn Tests".

This article was posted on 6-Sep-2005, 11:20 by Hugh Barrow.