Former All Black Leon MacDonald has reportedly been in discussion with the Chief Executive of the SRU, about taking over the position of Scotland’s Head Coach.
SRU Chief Executive Mark Dodson has reportedly been in discussion with MacDonald, despite the ongoing Six Nations success of Gregor Townsend, Sportsmail report.
MacDonald is currently the Head Coach of the Auckland Blues in Super Rugby, yet could be set to make the switch following the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Townsend’s current contract with Scotland runs out after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with MacDonald being eyed up as the next in line.
Gregor Townsend’s Scotland have started their 2023 Six Nations off on-fire, with two wins from two. They began their campaign with a thrilling 29-23 Calcutta Cup victory against England, and followed this up by dominating Wales 35-7 at Murrayfield. This Sunday Townsend’s men travel to Paris to take on France, a win here will line Scotland up to battle it out with Ireland for this year’s Six Nations Grand Slam.
MacDonald has also previously coached Tasman Mako in the Bunnings NPC, and the Crusaders, before switching to Super Rugby rivals the Blues in 2019. MacDonald has proven success as a coach, as he won the 2017 and 2018 Super Rugby seasons with the Crusaders, and took the Blues to the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa Final.
As a player, MacDonald achieved 56 caps for the All Blacks. A versatile utility back, MacDonald played fullback and centre, and was able to occasionally lead the line at fly half. A mainstay for the Crusaders in Super Rugby, MacDonald also represented Canterbury in the provincial leagues. A move to Japan took MacDonald to play for Yamaha Jubilo and the Kintetsu Liners.
Scotland hoping four players will swap nations for 2023 Rugby World Cup
We take a look at four rugby union players who could swap nations to represent Scotland at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
#1. Ben Healy
- Age: 23
- Position: Fly-half
- Honours: Ireland U20
Healy will join Edinburgh this summer on a two-year deal.
The 23-year-old represented Ireland at under-20 level but qualifies for Scotland through his grandparents.
Healy has featured for the Irish province since 2019, amassing 275 points from 47 appearances.
“It’s clear how much they want to play. I’m looking forward to putting myself into a new environment and seeing how I go,” Healy told Edinburgh’s website.
“I’d like to thank everyone at Munster for their support over the last few seasons. I’ve loved every minute of my time playing with the club, but I felt now was the right time to take on a new and exciting challenge in Edinburgh.”