The 53-year-old had been working with the Rugby Football Union on youth development, but has now accepted a role north of the border. He had been considered to replace Eddie Jones as coach.

Finn Russell stole the limelight as Scotland put on a show in their final World Cup audition with a 44-10 thrashing of Georgia in Tbilisi.

Gregor Townsend has wrapped a number of his key men up in cotton wool after leaving them out of Scotland's World Cup send-off with Georgia at Murrayfield on Friday night.

Scotland did what they do best at Murrayfield on Friday night - score tries. There were six in total for the home fans to enjoy as a spirited, if error-prone, Georgian side were despatched.

Safe passage through a group that contains the No 2 ranked side in the world in Ireland and hosts Japan is the minimum expected of Gregor Townsend's men. Anything less would be an abject failure.

ROB ROBERTSON IN KOBE: Graham has been brought in to inject some pace out wide as Gregor Townsend's side chase a bonus-point victory to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the tournament.

ROB ROBERTSON IN KOBE: Japan's sensational 19-12 victory over Ireland yesterday has forced the Scots to go chasing a bonus-point victory over Samoa in Kobe tomorrow.

ROB ROBERTSON IN KOBE: Sean Maitland feared he had blown his big chance to grab Scotland the bonus point win needed to keep their World Cup dream alive.

With 20 pool games played and 20 more to go, the 2019 Rugby World Cup has already delivered its fair share of shocks, upsets, brilliance and farce. Sportsmail answers 10 key questions.

SRU chiefs would be 'furious' if Scotland's crucial World Cup clash with Japan falls foul of Typhoon Hagibis and remain confident the game will be played even if it is delayed by 24 hours.

With the news that two World Cup pool matches have been called off, and another under review, there is some confusion over who will finish where. Sportsmail takes a look at the pool permutations...

SRU chiefs remain on a collision course with World Rugby after the decision on whether Sunday's make-or-break game with Japan goes ahead was delayed until the morning of the match.

The Scots will miss out on the quarter-finals if their match against hosts Japan in Yokohama on Sunday suffers the same fate as England's clash with France and is cancelled.

EXCLUSIVE BY MATT HUGHES AND NIK SIMON: World Rugby are facing possible legal action whatever decision they make regarding Scotland's scheduled Pool A clash with Japan on Sunday.

The captain's run for Japan had an altogether more aquatic feel on Saturday morning as the players waded through a flooded tunnel out onto the pitch. 

NIK SIMON IN YOKOHAMA: World Rugby have given the green light for Japan's game with Scotland to go ahead - with supporters also being allowed to attend the crunch clash.

Scotland suffered a devastating Rugby World Cup elimination at the hands of Japan, who made history by reaching the quarter-finals for the first time.  

Gregor Townsend insists Scotland can recover from their World Cup heartache - but knows they must learn from the mistakes that cost them in Japan.

ROB ROBERTSON IN YOKOHAMA: Japan took a stunning 28-21 victory in Yokahama. The result means that the host nation will now face South Africa in the quarter finals.

CHRIS FOY IN JAPAN: The World Cup quarter-final line-up has now been finalised after hosts Japan booked their place in the knockout stages with a barnstorming victory over Scotland on Sunday.

Greig Laidlaw has admitted he has a decision to make over whether to prolong his Scotland career. The scrum-half's last World Cup ended in agonising defeat to Japan on Sunday.

CHRIS FOY IN TOKYO: England's match against France is in danger of being cancelled, as Typhoon Hagibis has changed course and is now due to tear through Tokyo and Yokohama.

Saracens' case for their defence fell at La Defense as the besieged Barnet bashers were battered by Racing 92. The reigning Champions Cup holders took their biggest continental loss in two years.

Stuart Hogg admits that if his Exeter Chiefs side win the Premiership, people will believe they triumphed only because of Saracens' hefty points deduction for breaching the salary cap.

Exeter Chiefs are desperate for their 'normal' squad to solve the European puzzle this year, having added Border piece Stuart Hogg. The 27-year-old Hawick-born full-back faces his old club.

CHRIS FOY AT THE AJ BELL STADIUM: Exeter extended their lead at the top of Pool Two of the Heineken Champions Cup with a close-fought 22-20 victory over Sale courtesy of Stuart Hogg (middle).

Tommy Seymour is the second player to retire from international rugby in the past seven days. Seymour has announced his decision on the heels of former Scotland captain John Barclay quitting. 

The 34-year-old Clermont scrum-half skippered the side in 39 out of his 76 international appearances, more times than any other player, and is Scotland's second-highest point scorer with 714.

Scotland lock Jonny Gray has signed a two-year deal to join Exeter Chiefs next season from Glasgow Warriors. Gray follows Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell in leaving Glasgow in recent times.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY NIK SIMON: Finn Russell is loving the different life in France, and he has emerged as Europe's in-form No 10 this season.

Scottish rugby fans were left truly stunned after it was revealed that the SRU chief executive more than doubled his salary from £455,000 to £933,000. The news comes prior to the Six Nations kick-off.

Finn Russell was dropped from Scotland's Six Nations opener after refusing to stop drinking at the team's hotel bar and then skipping training the following morning.

New Scotland captain Stuart Hogg is to seek out national icon Gavin Hastings for last-minute advice on how to lead the team from full-back in the Six Nations opener against Ireland.

The headlines will have made painful reading for Stuart Hogg yesterday after his costly howler in Dublin, but I thought he fronted up well afterwards and stayed focused during the game.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has backed captain Stuart Hogg to bounce back from his horror miss against Ireland and lead the team with confidence against England next week.

Finn Russell will be absent again when Scotland play England in the 2020 Guinness Six Nations Championship at Murrayfield.

Every morning at Pennyhill Park, Eddie Jones walks past a table in the hotel lobby offering free fruit and a collection of daily newspapers. On Tuesday they did not make for pleasant reading.

EXCLUSIVE BY CHRIS FOY: England are talking about Scottish dirty tricks again, ahead of their trip to Murrayfield, but John Barclay has dismissed what he considers to be familiar 'whinging'.

The Edinburgh flanker missed last week's Six Nations opener with Ireland in Dublin due to a thigh strain and his recall to Gregor Townsend's team is the only change from that defeat.

Watson sat out the 24-17 defeat to France in Paris with a calf injury and it was hoped he would return for the trip to Murrayfield, but forwards coach Matt Proudfoot confirmed he would not be fit.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has warned his players not to let their emotions get the better of them in Saturday's Calcutta Cup showdown.

Thursday at Murrayfield. Greig Laidlaw looks at an empty arena. It is tempting to chronicle his career in a series of kicks, but the deserted grass surrounded by stands holds a comforting familiarity.

NIK SIMON IN EDINBURGH - Sam Underhill admits the pressure is on as England walk into the eye of a storm in Saturday's clash with Scotland.

Dylan Hartley runs the rule on England's trip to Edinburgh, as Eddie Jones' side prepares to face old foe Scotland in a Calcutta Cup clash. 

Eddie Jones has made five changes to his England team for Saturday's Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland with Willi Heinz coming in for Ben Youngs at scrum-half.

England beat Scotland to lift the Calcutta Cup before an angry Eddie Jones laid into the Scottish yob who threw a beer bottle at his right-hand man.

OLIVER HOLT AT MURRAYFIELD - The trees outside Murrayfield swayed in the gale and empty plastic coffee cups scattered. Storm Ciara was brewing, but Owen Farrell remained unfazed.

England captain Owen Farrell revealed the conditions the team's suffered at Murrayfield yesterday were some of the worst of his Test career.

Gregor Townsend has absolved Stuart Hogg from blame despite the Scotland skipper making his second costly mistake in as many Guinness Six Nations games.

NIK SIMON AT MURRAYFIELD: England could not dodge the storm but they at least averted the crisis on Saturday afternoon - thanks to a late try from Ellis Genge.