Townsend set to advise Newcastle in Red Bull role

Gregor Townsend has been Scotland head coach since 2017

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend is set to advise Newcastle on strategy and philosophy after taking on a part-time role with Red Bull.

The 52-year-old signed an extension last month that will keep him with Scotland until the end of the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

He will spend 30 days a year working on Red Bull's global rugby strategy in a non-executive position. Newcastle are the only rugby club in their portfolio.

Having been in charge of Scotland since 2017, Townsend was linked with a move to Newcastle as director of rugby prior to agreeing his contract in September.

The Red Bull arrangement was agreed at the same time as his Scotland deal and has the backing of his Murrayfield bosses.

Townsend's 30 days will all be outside of all international windows so the union are confident his focus will not be blurred by the additional role.

Furthermore, safeguards are in place to ensure there is no conflict of interest with the work Townsend does with Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors.

A Scottish Rugby spokesperson said the move had happened "with Scottish Rugby's full knowledge and support".

"This is a great opportunity for Gregor with one of the biggest sporting organisations in the world," they added.

"He will be participating in high-level strategic conversations with a powerhouse in sport and we see that as being beneficial to Scottish Rugby going forward.

"Gregor remains fully committed to his role as Scotland head coach and we see this new role working alongside that well."

Newcastle are the first rugby union club to become part of the Red Bull stable.

The Austria-based company already has significant interests in football, motor racing and winter sports.

Newcastle finished 10th in last season's Premiership and opened the new campaign with a home defeat by Saracens.

At the same time as the Townsend news emerged, it was announced that they have parted company with director of rugby Steve Diamond.

'Scottish takeover of Newcastle?' - analysis

Scottish Rugby's communications department is at pains to point out that Townsend's deal on rugby strategy is with Red Bull, the global brand, rather than with Newcastle Red Bulls, the one rugby club that the global brand actually owns.

Maybe it was a fear of failing foul of conflict of interest rules, but there was a fair amount of dancing on the head of a pin from some at Murrayfield.

If Townsend has no involvement with Red Bull's rugby team in the Premiership, who, exactly, is he advising on rugby strategy, philosophy and culture?

Perhaps these things are entirely unconnected but Wednesday brought further news from Newcastle Red Bulls.

• Jonny Petrie, a former Scotland team-mate of Townsend's, is their new managing director.

• Neil McIlroy, Townsend's fellow Borderer, is the new sporting director/general manager.

• John Fletcher, currently head of pathways at the SRU, will become Newcastle Red Bulls academy and pathways director later in the year.

It's already been termed by some fans as a Scottish takeover. If Townsend is not advising the rugby club, these new additions must be a series of coincidences.

There is a hope - expressed quietly within Murrayfield - that connections with a giant organisation such as Red Bull will have benefits not just for Townsend and his hunger for knowledge, but also for the SRU.

The SRU has no money to create a much-needed third professional team to sit alongside Glasgow and Edinburgh. They need to get more games into their younger players and they have limited scope to do it.

There is no business link between the SRU and the Red Bulls, but if underplayed young Scots can be loaned out to this ambitious new club and given more game time than they might get at home, that could help their development.

No discussion of this sort has taken place, and maybe none will, but Townsend now having a foot in the Red Bull world could be of use down the line - to him and to the SRU in general.

A source close to Murrayfield said that if a relationship with Red Bull blossomed to the point that their rugby team could become a sort of third outlet for Scottish players then the SRU would "up for that conversation".