With just under 12 months to go until the Rugby World Cup, Scotland are now entering the final lap of Gregor Townsend’s tenure as head coach.

Townsend’s contract expires after the tournament in Australia next year and it is widely expected that he will move on after ten years at the helm of the national team.

Given his consultancy role with Newcastle Red Bulls, it hardly requires the foresight of Nostradamus to hazard a decent guess as to where Townsend might pitch up next.

Yet, if that whole arrangement has become a badly kept secret, it has often felt like the identity of Townsend’s successor might be equally as obvious.

Given his outstanding body of work with Glasgow Warriors over the past four years, Franco Smith has long been viewed as the heir apparent.

David Nucifora, Scottish Rugby’s performance director, will lead the recruitment process before he, too, departs alongside Townsend.

There is certainly a valid argument that all roads should lead to Scotstoun in the search for Townsend’s successor. Smith has earned his chance with Scotland – and then some. But there are other names which continue to do the rounds.

Scott Robertson, the former All Blacks head coach, has plenty of admirers within Murrayfield and has links to Scotland from a brief spell with Ayr way back when.

Clark Laidlaw was another name thrown into the mix this week. A Super Rugby champion as head coach of the Hurricanes, Laidlaw, son of Scotland legend Roy, admitted in an interview with the BBC he would ‘welcome a conversation’.

Scotland’s clash with New Zealand at Murrayfield on Saturday also throws up another possible candidate in Mike Blair.

Since leaving his role with Edinburgh in 2023, Blair has emerged as a key figure in Dave Rennie’s coaching staff, first with Kobe Steelers in Japan, and now with the All Blacks in his role as attack coach.

Blair served on Townsend’s staff with Scotland as skills coach between 2017-2021, before leaving for the top job at Edinburgh.

In his first season, Edinburgh reached the URC quarter-finals, finishing above Glasgow Warriors in the regular season, and played some outstanding attacking rugby along the way.

His second season was more difficult. Blair eventually stepped down due to a sense of burn-out in terms of what he was being asked to do behind the scenes with regards to contracts and recruitment, rather than just coaching the team.

But Jim Hamilton, the former Scotland lock and a one-time team-mate, is of the belief that Blair remains one of the sharpest minds in the game.

As one of the most intelligent players he ever played with, and clearly a coach of serious pedigree, Hamilton sees no reason why Blair shouldn’t be a serious contender for the Scotland job.

‘When the time comes for Gregor Townsend to eventually move on from Scotland, I hope Mike’s name is in that conversation,’ said Hamilton.

‘Does he want to be a head coach again? Personally, I think he would, just not in the same capacity that he was with Edinburgh where he had loads of other stuff to deal with beyond coaching.

‘Scotland will be going into a new cycle after the World Cup. Whether it’s as head coach or attack coach, I don’t know, you would have to ask Mike. But I would love to see him involved with Scotland again in future because I think he has a lot to offer.

‘You’re going to have Franco Smith very much in the mix, Scott Robertson as well potentially with his Scottish links. But I would absolutely love for Mike Blair to be part of the Scotland coaching setup in some capacity.

‘His great strength and his great passion is just coaching and working with players on the training field. You listen to some of the All Black players and you look at what they’ve been doing in attack since Mike and Dave (Rennie) have gone in there — I think it speaks for itself.

‘Mike is facilitating those players to be the absolute best versions of themselves and to play the brand of rugby that everyone associates with the All Blacks.

‘Back in his own day as a player, he wasn’t necessarily a brilliant athlete but he was a brilliant rugby player in terms of his intelligence.

‘As a player, Mike was very passionate but also very authentic. As captain, we absolutely believed in him.

‘Bearing in mind, this was a period when Scotland struggled more often than not. We weren’t as successful as what the current team have been over recent years. But he was a brilliant captain and a brilliant leader.

‘I think that has translated to his coaching. Dave Rennie clearly rates him very, very highly. That in itself is high praise.’

Former Glasgow Warriors boss Rennie was appointed as the new head coach of New Zealand in March earlier this year and has since led them to ten wins from 13 matches, with their only defeats coming against South Africa.

The All Blacks have been clicking into gear in ominous fashion, playing the sort of free-flowing brand of rugby for which they – and Rennie – are renowned.

It promises to be a thrilling Test match at Murrayfield, with Hamilton viewing the Scotland squad as potentially the strongest it has ever been at any point during Townsend’s time in charge.

‘I love the look of New Zealand at the moment,’ said the 43-year-old, who won 63 caps for Scotland between 2006-2015. ‘Mike is a guy I obviously know well and I’ve spoken to him.

‘Since Mike and Dave Rennie have gone in there, I get the sense that they’ve really given the All Blacks their identity back.

‘The All Blacks are one of the coolest teams and coolest brands in any sport in the world. Dave Rennie has really dialled into that identity since he took charge.

‘The brand of rugby they’ve been playing over these past few months has been unbelievable, much more like what you’d expect from a really vintage New Zealand team.

‘It feels like the All Blacks are back as a serious force again. Without question, they are going to be among the main contenders for the World Cup next year.

‘As for Scotland, I think we are in a really good place. I think we have quality, we have depth and we have balance.

‘I know Bath have struggled slightly at the start of the season but Finn Russell will put on a Scotland jersey and he’ll be one of the best players in the world again.’

And what of the Haka? The All Blacks’ traditional pre-match ritual which often feels like it splits opinion among players, fans and pundits.

A couple of years ago, former England prop Joe Marler insisted that the Haka was ‘ridiculous’ and ‘needs binning’. Marler would later apologise for those remarks.

On his own memories of staring it down, Hamilton added: ‘I think the Haka is one of sport’s great spectacles. I certainly can’t give you a headline like Joe Marler!

‘It means a lot to them. There is a tradition and respect to it. I think it’s theatrical in the sense that it really builds the pre-match atmosphere in the stadium.

‘I faced it a couple of times as a player and there would always be a debate in terms of what we should do. I always just wanted to eyeball the guy who I knew would be my direct opponent on the day.

‘On one occasion, that man happened to be Ali Williams (former New Zealand lock). He’s got a big long tongue and he’s sticking it out with his eyes popping out of his head. I was like: “Come on!” Honestly, I was absolutely pumped for it.

‘I was standing next to John Barclay and he was looking straight at Richie McCaw. John looked at me after it and said: “Jim, we’re f*****!” They went fully loaded against us — McCaw, Dan Carter, Ma’a Nonu, Julian Savea, Kieran Read... it was just a ridiculous team.

‘We came absolutely nowhere near them. But as a player and as an athlete, it was still an unbelievable experience to go up against that particular New Zealand team.’

■ Jim Hamilton teamed up with BOYLE Sports to discuss the Nations Championship. When your Rugby Union team goes 17 points ahead, BOYLE Sports pays out! 18+ BeGambleAware. For more information visit: www.boylesports.com