GAVIN HASTINGS, Scotland’s record international points scorer, yesterday spoke of his delight at being back inside the centre of the game in his homeland after becoming commercial manager of the sevens squad as they take a full part in the International Rugby Board’s eight-tournament world championship for the first time.
“It gives me a tangible project to work on so that when people ask ‘what is your involvement in Scottish rugby?’ I actually have a nice answer,” he said. “People may laugh but it is crucial to be able to say that, and I am really happy about this.”
Hastings is coming on board as Scotland return to the forefront of the sevens circuit after three years of picking and choosing which tournaments to enter and four years after Jim Telfer, the then director of rugby, ordered a break in Scotland’s sevens involvement because of the cost and lack of results.
The decision to compete in all the IRB tournaments this year is partly based on the part-time team’s achievement in qualifying for next year’s IRB Sevens World Cup, to be staged in Hong Kong.
The extended programme will not add to the Scottish Rugby Union’s costs since their involvement is backed by grants from the IRB. However, Hastings has been drafted into the management team to drive the commercial side to try to make the operation self-financing, while he also sees a productive role for himself in mentoring and advising some of the young players who may find the travel and pressure daunting.
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Ian McGeechan, the SRU director of rugby, explained: “We consider sevens as being a business unit in its own right. There is a lot of interest from companies worldwide and Gavin will be looking to develop those links.”
The squad announced yesterday features some of the best youngsters in the country, including 18-year-old back row men John Beattie, who has played for Glasgow, and Alan MacDonald, who has represented Edinburgh.