“Some would say Scotland is far too small to be able to compete on the world stage. That's the same thing Ireland told me.”
Those are the words of Scotland Rugby's new director of performance, David Nucifora, who has been largely credited for Ireland's recent success in the sport.
During his 10-year reign as director of performance at the IRFU, the men's team climbed to the top of the world and won four Six Nations Championships, including two Grand Slams. He also oversaw the women's team's victory in the Six Nations in 2015.
Now Australia hopes to replicate its decade of dominance across the Irish Sea.
“I had little intention of doing anything else when I finished in Ireland,” said the 62-year-old.
“But I had a number of conversations with John McGuigan (Chairman of Scottish Rugby Limited) and we had similar thoughts about the game and where it should go.
“I was sure there was an opportunity here to do something because I had played a fair amount of rugby in this part of the world.
“The temptation to be able to help reshape something that I believe has a very high ceiling appealed to me. So, I jumped at the chance to get involved.”
David Nucifora examines the situation with Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend
The former hook is tasked with providing a “road map” for the next decade of player development at Scottish Rugby throughout his two-year contract. It will also assist the SRU in appointing a permanent replacement.
“For the past five weeks, I have been here on the ground, and I am encouraged by what I have seen,” said Nucifora.
“I think there is a lot of potential. There are a number of things that can be attacked very early on to try to make reasonably quick improvements.
“Of course I don't have a magic wand, but I see that the structures and the raw materials are here to work with. I look at it in a very good light and I believe that we can do things very well done.”
David Nucifora helped Ireland climb to the top of the World Rugby rankings during his 10-year spell with the IRFU
The men's national team return to action against Italy in their Six Nations opener in February.
When asked about Scotland's chances of winning the tournament, Nucifora replied: “Scotland are a difficult team at any time.
“You look back to last year, they had some good wins, and they dropped some games that they would have been embarrassed about.
“You can't just pick the national team. You have to look at the whole parcel and go: 'Okay, how do we improve this? How do we support those below them to ensure they are at their best. best of all time?'”
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