Scottish Rugby said Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has agreed to extend his contract until the end of 2027, following the Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Townsend began his term in 2017 and is the longest serving head coach of the Scotland national team in the professional era. During the 2026 Guinness Six Nations, Townsend will coach his 100th Scotland game.
Meanwhile, Glasgow Warriors has extended the contract of head coach Franco Smith through to 2028 in a new deal that will see the URC title winning coach stay in Scotland.
Further, five new appointments to crucial areas in Scottish Rugby’s High-Performance department have been confirmed “to deliver the organisation’s new strategic approach to player development.”
Townsend has developed a stronger squad which led to 12 players featuring in the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia.
In recent years Scotland’s men have competed strongly against some of the best teams in the world, earning historic results away from home against England and France and reaching up to fifth in the world rankings. Scotland is currently ranked eighth.
Townsend said: “Being the Scotland head coach is a massive honour for me personally, a true privilege. The opportunity to coach my country at another Rugby World Cup is exciting and I am hugely motivated to help the team perform to its potential.
“Over recent years I have been really encouraged by the progress the team has made and the depth we have built in a number of positions. The experiences from our Summer Tour and also the Lions Tour will add an extra layer to our group. Having 12 players out on the Lions tour was tremendous for Scottish rugby and the players.
“It’s going to be an exciting build up period to the World Cup with the potential of a new competition for our summer and autumn fixtures in 2026 as well as two Six Nations Championships for us to attack. And, this November we have a cracking run of home fixtures, which will include celebrating the centenary of our national stadium when we take on New Zealand. This occasion will underline the importance we place on connection to our supporters and our history.
“I understand tickets have been selling well and that shows how much the nation are behind the players. There is a real belief within the squad that they can achieve special things and I can’t wait to work with them again to help make this happen.”
Scottish Rugby Performance Director David Nucifora said: “Gregor is one of the most well-respected coaches in world rugby. The strength that this continuity of appointment brings in addition to the increased high-performance resources being made available places Scottish Rugby in a strong position leading into the next Rugby World Cup.
“He has built an impressive squad with increased depth across a number of positions that is now coming into its prime regarding international experience.
“We are excited about what is to come from the men’s national team in the coming years and Gregor is the best person to take them forward.”
Scottish Rugby CEO Alex Williamson said: “Having toured with the Scotland squad this summer I witnessed first hand the impressive culture that Gregor has developed and saw how connected and motivated the playing group is. That cohesion will be vitally important for the national team to be successful in the future.
“We have an exciting group of players which Gregor has nurtured, and I believe he is the right man to drive us forward, with full support of the Scottish Rugby Limited Board.
“The strong ticket sales for our matches at Scottish Gas Murrayfield demonstrate how engaged the nation are with Gregor’s team and the way they play rugby. We are excited to see the relationship with the fans continue to develop this autumn, where the team have the opportunity to achieve results that will propel them into next year’s Guinness Six Nations.
“I have talked in the past about the importance of continuity in our men’s coaching environments, both because we believe we have excellent individuals in our structure and because it allows us to embed our high-performance reorganisation with coaches who are already fully committed to this critically important and substantial investment. I look forward to seeing Gregor and the men’s national team being early beneficiaries of the changes.”
Glasgow Warriors has extended the contract of Head Coach Franco Smith to 2028.
Smith said: “There is still so much more we can achieve.”
Smith led his squad to the EPCR Challenge Cup Final – the first European final in the club’s history – in his inaugural season at the helm.
The Warriors then won the BKT United Rugby Championship title in dramatic fashion with a 21-16 victory over the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in June 2024.
Smith said: “I’m incredibly proud and grateful to extend my journey with this club. From day one, I’ve believed in the vision we share to build something special, to push our limits, and to grow together as a team and as a community.
“The players, the people, and the supporters have created an environment full of trust and ambition, and that inspires me every single day. There’s still so much more we can achieve, and I’m excited to keep working hard to take this club to the next level.”
Scottish Rugby CEO Williamson said: “Franco is rightly acknowledged as one of the leading coaches in world rugby right now and so it was important for us to retain his services so Glasgow Warriors and its players can continue to progress and develop under his leadership.
“We want all our representative and professional teams to be highly competitive and the role our pro teams play in our high-performance eco-system is crucial to our wider success. Securing Franco through until 2028 is a clear sign of intent that we will invest in our high-performance teams and we look forward to working with him again this season and beyond.”
Five new appointments to crucial areas in Scottish Rugby’s High-Performance department have been confirmed.
Alex Ross has been appointed as Head of Athletic Performance and Sports Science, joining from Miami Marlins in the MLB where he is Director of Strength and Conditioning.
Ross has previously headed up performance teams at USA Rugby, New York Mets and Argentina Rugby Union, working with Los Pumas at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Ross’s extensive experience also extends to working with the Jaguares, The Blues and New Zealand Rugby. He also played for the USA Sevens team for two years.
Ross will oversee the strategic development, management and operation of the Scottish Rugby’s Rugby Athletic Performance Programme across both the men’s and women’s game.
Al Kellock will move to Head of Performance Pathways, from Glasgow Warriors where he was Managing Director overseeing operational and sporting matters for over four years, which included the club winning the 2024 United Rugby Championship.
James Moore joins Scottish Rugby from the NBA as Head of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation. Moore has vast experiences in sport, joining from the Brooklyn Nets. He also held the position of Head of Performance Services for Team GB at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and was Deputy Chef de Mission Performance Services for Team GB at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Between 2019 and 2023, James worked as Performance Director for Team Andy Murray where he led the clinical delivery to return the legendary Scottish sportsman to the elite level following injury issues.
Richard Chessor returns to Scottish Rugby as Head of Nutrition from his current role as Head of Science and Medicine for GB Aquatics.
He will work to create and implement a strategy which will be activated throughout all areas of the performance system within Scottish Rugby. He will lead a performance nutrition department that will support the goals of the High-Performance vision, working closely with the Performance Pathway programmes as well as age grade and senior national teams.
James McLaren has joined Scottish Rugby as High-Performance Business Analyst, joining from Ernst & Young where he held the position of Senior Consultant of AI & Data.
The High Performance’s Business Analyst will provide advice to the Performance Director on how to leverage solutions to drive innovation, improve outcomes and optimize existing business practices in the Performance Department.
Scottish Rugby Performance Director David Nucifora said: “We are determined to produce the best young players for our national teams and these appointments will enhance the delivery of our High-Performance department and implement a system that will improve the development of players in Scotland for many years to come.
“Alex Ross has worked with many high performing sports across baseball and rugby around the world and his experience will allow us to take our sports science and athletic performance programmes to the next level. He will work across all areas of the pathway along with our national teams, which will allow for a uniformed approach in an area that will greatly impact how successful our teams are going forward.
“James Moore’s impressive CV speaks for itself and having worked with the best athletes in Britain across many years he is in the best shape to drive forward our physiotherapy and rehabilitation. We already have a strong department and having James at the head of it will only help it excel further.
“Al Kellock is a man who is vastly experienced within high-performance and his recent experiences of leading Glasgow Warriors to the URC title win as managing director is testament to the work he’s done at the club. Having a man of his stature and experience driving our pathways will be game-changing for our system and give our players the best chance of living their potential as rugby players.
“Nutrition is an area that makes the difference to the performance and development of our players and it’s right that we place a huge amount of focus on it to get that crucial aspect right. Richard Chessor is knowledgeable about Scottish Rugby and already has existing relationships that will ensure he hits the ground running.
“In order for the High-Performance department to work at its optimal best we need to get the small details right and introducing a Business Analyst, in James McLaren, will ensure there is connectivity between data and performance which will allow for important decisions to be made with crucial levels of knowledge and information.”
Scottish Rugby CEO Williamson said: “We are fully committed to the future success of our elite players through the High-Performance environment David has developed, which will be delivered through the hugely talented people we already have, and the recruitment of Alex, James, Al, James and Richard who will add their significant experience and knowledge.
“We want to be competitive across the board and it is an investment not only to develop players who can inspire younger generations to pursue their ambitions in rugby it is also fundamental to ensuring we continue to engage fans, attract sponsors and represent Scotland with pride on the international stage through winning teams and clubs.”