A FRENCHMAN with experience of hostage negotiations has become the latest recruit to Scotland's backroom staff for the Rugby World Cup.

Head coach Vern Cotter, who revealed two weeks ago that his squad of 46 will team up with the French commandos and marines when they head off to a training camp in the Pyrenees this week, explained the role that will be taken up by the performance coach, whom he knows from his former post at Clermont.

"There's a chap who'll be coming to meet us in France called Eric Blondeau, who has worked in hostage negotiations and with the the GIGN, which is the French SAS equivalent," Cotter said as his squad met up for the first time.

"He has a lot of experience in traumatic and difficult decision-making situations and he'll come and speak to a few of the players.

"I used him at Clermont. He'll be periodically coming in and having a talk with myself. I met with him a month or so ago and we spoke about the challenges we have ahead. He's very good at throwing up ideas."

Once back in Scotland, the squad's work will be focused on fitness and on core rugby skills, but in Font Romeu they can look forward to a wider range of activities designed to stretch them mentally as well as physically.

"I want to see players enjoy being together and working hard for each other," Cotter continued.

"That's one of the key things to any group performance - getting them to trust each other. That's why some of the scenarios will have those type of factors involved.

"It will not be that hard, honestly. It's an ideal training level at 1,800-2,000 metres above sea level. I'll be looking at character and how they adapt.

We'll put them into different teams and they'll have different challenges - resourcefulness, mental and physical resilience and elements of creativity.

"The commander said 'Trust me Vern, I've done this before'. They did it with the French team [before the Word Cup] in 2007 and 2011 and I'm sure they've perfected a few techniques. They didn't lose anyone.

"It's the Auld Alliance, isn't it? We've always helped each other."