Pete Horne named head coach of Scotland A

The Scotland assistant coach will move into the head coach role for the A team in the final week of The Famous Grouse Nations Series.

Horne amassed 45 caps for Scotland during his playing career and after retiring in 2021 he coached Ayrshire Bulls in the Super Series before working as assistant coach at Glasgow Warriors and Scotland.

He will be joined by Stevie Lawrie as forwards coach along with Pete Murchie as defence coach.

Both former Scotland internationals, Lawrie has worked with the forwards at Edinburgh Rugby since 2019 with Murchie winning the URC earlier this year as part of Franco Smith’s coaching staff at Glasgow Warriors.

The match against Chile will be the first time Scotland A have been in action since their last fixture which was also against Chile, in 2022. Scotland ran out 45-5 winners in Santiago with Luke Crosbie captaining the side.

Chile will journey from South America with their full international squad fresh from playing Scotland this July where Gregor Townsend’s side won 52-11.

On being appointed head coach of the A team, Pete Horne said: “It’s a real honour coaching your country at any level and I am excited by the opportunity. I jumped at the chance when Gregor asked if I would lead Scotland A. The national team played Chile in the summer and they posed a real threat. It’ll be brilliant to see players grasp their opportunity against a national team and play in front of a good crowd at the Hive.”

As part of the new performance pathway plans, A matches have been identified as a key way to develop players by giving them another opportunity to show they can cope with the demands of international rugby.

Horne said: “There are so many good young players coming through in Scotland but the opportunities to test themselves at that next level can often be limited. The A matches act as a platform for these guys to impress and make the step up to the first team.”

The squad will be made up of players selected for The Famous Grouse Nations Series alongside others who will be called up specifically for the A game.

Horne said: “It will largely be a young group of players but everyone will be at different stages in their career.

“There will be young players who’ve not played much for their pro team along with guys who have featured for the national team but either haven’t established themselves yet or are finding limited playing opportunities. It will be a beneficial game for a number of reasons.

“If the boys play well in our environment it’ll give them the opportunity to be considered for selection to play for the national team.”

The Chile match will be played the night before Scotland take on Australia in The Famous Grouse Nations Series. The A team players will have the benefit of experiencing life in Scotland camp during the training week and Horne believes that will enhance the experience.

He said: “We will be based at Oriam for the week, along with the national team squad which will make for a really competitive environment. Everyone on the training field will be building towards a match at the weekend whether it be the game against Australia, or the A match. That will add an extra edge to training.”

Pete Horne will be supported by staff from Scottish Rugby’s pathway, Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby.

The full management list is below:

Head coach: Pete Horne
Defence coach: Pete Murchie
Forwards coach: Stevie Lawrie
Team manager: John Manson
Doctor: Mike Dunlop
Physiotherapist: Andy Hay
Physiotherapist: Andy Boag
Strength and conditioning coach: Liam Walshe
Strength and conditioning coach: Andy Ryan
Performance analyst: Cammy Mack
Performance analyst: Greg Woolard
Kit manager: Claire Bain