DAVE Rennie, who is currently the head coach of the Chiefs in New Zealand, will take over from Gregor Townsend at Glasgow Warriors next summer.
When it was announced earlier this week that Townsend will succeed Vern Cotter as Scotland coach in June 2017, Scottish Rugby chief executive Mark Dodson promised to bring in a high-calibre replacement at the Warriors.
He has now kept his word in record time with the appointment of a man who won the Super Rugby competition in each of his first two seasons.
Read more: Grateful Gregor Townsend 'honoured' at Scotland appointment
Rennie, who is 52, began his coaching career with Wellington, the club for whom he played. He was an assistant coach with the Hurricanes before moving on to Manawatu, and took over at the Chiefs in 2012.
The appointment of Rennie ends speculation about possible promotion from within at the Warriors. Townsend’s present coaching team at Scotland includes Matt Taylor and Dan McFarland, both of whom appear settled in their current roles as assistants. 
Mike Blair, who is also now an assistant coach after announcing his retirement from playing earlier this year, appears destined for higher things but may have to accrue experience at a lower level first.
“It is a clear indication of the progress Scottish Rugby and Glasgow Warriors are making that we can attract a coach of Dave’s experience to Scotland to work with our players,” SRU chief executive Mark Dodson said. “Gregor has developed a great winning culture at Glasgow Warriors and I’m very confident Dave will be able to build on that solid foundation to bring more success to the club.
“We have a group of talented Scottish players at Glasgow and we want to maintain their progress and this appointment will expose them to fresh ideas and new approaches to the game. Dave’s experience at the Chiefs and at New Zealand age-grade level can only help to develop them and the team further.”
Rennie explained that he had planned for some time to work abroad, and was looking forward to continuing the work of Townsend, who won the PRO12 title with the Warriors last year. “I am delighted to be appointed to the head coach role at Glasgow Warriors,” Rennie said. “The opportunity to work with such an exciting group of players at a club that has such big ambitions and a great winning culture was one that I couldn’t turn down.
“It's no secret I have been interested in coaching abroad and this chance with Scottish Rugby fitted the bill perfectly. As a coach you want to test yourself in new environments with new challenges. The work Gregor and his team have done at the Warriors speaks for itself and I am very motivated to continue that success and build the club.”
With the current contracts of both Townsend and Cotter coming to an end next summer, Scottish Rugby decided to move quickly to ensure a smooth succession at national level. They have now done the same thing with the Warriors, leaving only a potential vacancy at Edinburgh Rugby to fill. Alan Solomons, the current head coach at Edinburgh, also has a deal which runs out at the end of this season.
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