Former Howe of Fife star Pete Horne called into Scottish coaching team for rugby’s Six Nations

Pete Horne at Glasgow Warriors' United Rugby Championship match versus DHL Stormers at Glasgow's Scotstoun Stadium earlier this month (Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group/Glasgow Warriors)

Former Howe of Fife star Pete Horne has been called up by Scottish national rugby head coach Gregor Townsend to help out with preparations for the upcoming Six Nations tournament.

Glasgow Warriors skills coach Horne, 33, and former All Blacks assistant Brad Mooar have been drafted in following the departure earlier this month of AB Zondagh, only appointed as the Scots’ attack coach in August.

Horne, previously head coach for Fosroc Super6 Championship side Ayrshire Bulls, has been coaching at Warriors since June last year and will continue in that post with the Scotstoun club, potentially ruling him out for the latter part of the Six Nations.

“There are going to be two people supporting me,” said Townsend, 49. “I will still be coaching more of the attack.

“Pete Horne is going to come in. He has a couple of areas he is going to work with. He has done really well with Glasgow, and he is still with Glasgow but they don’t play for the first two rounds.

“I don’t know how long Pete will be with us because they have to go to South Africa when we play France, but he will be around for the first two weeks.

“Brad Mooar is coming in for the whole championship. Brad was the Scarlets’ head coach and was with the All Blacks until August.

“He will come in on a consultancy role and we will see what that looks like.

“He will be contributing to our coaching group, working with players.

“Brad comes with head coach experience but also an attack mindset. There are areas where he can help us as a group.”

Townsend’s back-room team also includes forwards coach John Dalziel, defence coach Steve Tandy and scrum coach Pieter de Villiers.

The Borderer has yet to decide if Horne, a former pupil of Cupar’s Bell Baxter High School, and Mooar, 48, will be part of his coaching team for the Rugby World Cup kicking off in October in France.

Horne, elder brother of current Scottish international George Horne and son of ex-Howe head coach Garry Horne, was capped for Scotland at stand-off or centre 45 times between 2013 and 2021.

Scotland, captained by Jamie Ritchie, another ex-Howe player, begin their Six Nations campaign away to England on Saturday, February 4.