'Fits bill perfectly': Scotland confirm key Murrayfield appointment after summer departure

It was revealed last week that the Scottish Rugby Union was closing in on Radford after talks reached an advanced stage, an agreement has been reached which will allow the 46-year-old to become part of head coach Gregor Townsend’s staff while continuing with his current club, Northampton Saints, for the rest of the 2025/26 season.

Radford will then join Scotland on a full-time basis from the summer of 2026 onwards and is contracted until the end of the 2027/28 season.

Townsend has been searching for a new defence coach since previous incumbent Steve Tandy left Scotland to become Wales’ new head coach. Radford joins a backroom group alongside forwards coach John Dalziel, skills and contact coach Pete Horne and scrum coach Pieter De Villiers.

Born in Hull, Radford comes from a rugby league background. He played for Hull FC, Bradford Bulls and England, winning the Super League and Challenge Cup with Bradford. He then moved into coaching with Hull FC and led them to Challenge Cup success in 2016 and 2017.

He was sacked by Hull in 2020 and it was at that point that he switched to rugby union, joining US Major League Rugby side Dallas Jackals as defensive coach. He returned to league to work with Castleford Tigers in 2021 then moved back to union with Northampton in 2023 and is credited with a key role in their Premiership triumph of 2024.

Townsend reacts to Radford appointment

“We placed huge importance on bringing in a high-quality replacement for Steve Tandy as our defence coach and Lee fits the bill perfectly,” Townsend said on the appointment of Radford.

“Lee brings a wealth of experience from rugby league and union on the defensive area of the game and will be able to build on the good work that has been done in that area over the last few years.

“He will fit into our environment really well and I believe our players will respond positively to Lee’s beliefs and ideas around the defensive side of the game, and the mindset required to win at the highest level. We are looking forward to working with him as a coaching group and learning from his substantial knowledge and experiences.”

The role with Scotland will be Radford’s first taste of international rugby as a coach and he said: “I’ve always aspired to coach on the international stage within rugby union and to get that opportunity with a nation like Scotland is an incredibly proud moment.

“I’ve visited the Scotland camp a couple of times in the last few years and have come away with a great feeling about the place. The management are well connected and it’s a tight playing group. There’s a brilliant chemistry and that’s so important.

“Scotland have been very sound defensively over the last few years and there are similarities to how they defend compared to Northampton. My job will be to continue that cohesion as well as adding some of my own touches.

“If you look at the age profile of the Scotland squad, it is all starting to come together nicely and I have been really impressed with how the team have developed recently. Having so many players away with the Lions in the summer is testament to the work that has been done and I can’t wait until the end of October when I meet everyone for the first time ahead of four exciting matches in the autumn.”

Scotland are due to name their squad for the autumn international later this month and will play USA, New Zealand, Argentina and Tonga at Murrayfield over four weekends in November.