Richie Dixon
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Richie Dixon (born c. 1947) is a former Scotland international
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
player, the former head coach of the Scotland national team, the Georgia national team and Glasgow Caledonians (now known as
Glasgow Warriors The Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and beca ...
). He was head of Physical Education at Currie High School in Edinburgh from 1972 until 1980.


Playing career


Amateur career

Born in
Chirnside Chirnside is a hillside village in Berwickshire, Scotland, west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and east of Duns, Scottish Borders, Duns. Church The parish church at Chirnside dates from the 12th century. It was substantially rebuilt in 1878 and ...
,
Berwickshire Berwickshire (; ) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. The county takes its name from Berwick-upon-Tweed, its original county town, which was part of Scotland at the ...
, Dixon played for Jordanhill.


Provincial career

As a rugby player he was to captain Glasgow District; the side that was later to become the
Glasgow Warriors The Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and beca ...
on professionalism. He started off playing on the Wing or Centre for Glasgow. Later in his career, he made the switch to Flanker and represented Glasgow there too. It was thought that this utility factor negatively influenced his chances of a senior Scotland cap. In 2024 he got awarded his first cap for Scotland after playing the Netherlands not receiving it when he should have. The ''Glasgow Herald'' of 8 October 1974 commented:
Jordanhill's Richie Dixon began his second district career in that ill-starred Murrayfield inter-city. Having played 22 times for Glasgow on the Wing or Centre between 1967 and 1970, he switched to the pack and re-appeared in the district team as a flanker, but midway in the first half had to go back to full back. The national selectors were reminded that he used to be a back and that seems to have been holding back his career ever since.


International career

Dixon played for Scotland 'B' on 3 occasions and captained the side each time. He also played for the
Barbarians A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...
. He was on the bench for the Scottish International Team and earned his one and only cap against the Netherlands, March 1984. In 2023 the SRU deemed that match a full international and gave Richie Dixon the cap no. 1199.


Coaching career


Glasgow District

Dixon coached Glasgow District; notably during its famous unbeaten 1989-90 season, winning the
Scottish Inter-District Championship The Scottish Inter-District Championship is a rugby union competition between regional sides in Scotland. Established in 1953, the tournament went through several formats. The Scottish Rugby Union confirmed in January 2023 that the Scottish Int ...
outright and topped off with a 22–11 win against
Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
at
Hughenden Stadium Hughenden is a multi-sports venue in the Hyndland area of Glasgow, Scotland. It has been the home since 1924 of Hillhead Sports Club, a private members' club catering for cricket, rugby union and tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, ...
.


Scotland

He coached the Scotland B national rugby union team for many years and was also involved in coaching the
Sweden national rugby union team The Sweden national rugby union team represents Sweden in rugby union. Rugby has been played in Sweden since 1933, the first full international being played in 1949 against Denmark. The country celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2008. Sweden ...
. He was
Scotland national rugby union team The Scotland national rugby union team represents the Scottish Rugby Union in men's international rugby union. The team takes part in the annual Six Nations Championship, where they are the current Doddie Weir Cup holders. They also participa ...
Head Coach from 1995 to 1998. As
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
boss he took Scotland to within one game of a grand slam when they were beaten by England at Murrayfield in 1996. Dixon lost his job in 1998 after a defeat by Italy in the warm up to the Five Nations. His success rate in the role for competitive matches was 50% - just below
Jim Telfer James Telfer (born 17 March 1940) is a Scottish former rugby union coach and player. As a player, he won 21 international caps in the amateur era, also having a career as a headmaster at Hawick High School and Galashiels Academy and Forrester ...
's 53.8% but ahead of
Ian McGeechan Sir Ian Robert McGeechan, OBE (born 30 October 1946) is a Scottish rugby union player, coach and teacher. Born in Leeds, McGeechan represented Headingley as his only club during a 15-year club career, qualifying for Scotland through his father h ...
's 42%.


International matches as head coach


London Scottish

Dixon had a brief tenure at London Scottish.


Glasgow Warriors

He took over the Glasgow club from New Zealander Keith Robertson in January 1999. As part of the coaching set-up Rob Moffat joined him as assistant coach. During Dixon's tenure Glasgow Caledonians dropped its merged identity and rebranded itself back to Glasgow Rugby in 2002. Dixon was replaced as Warriors boss by New Zealander Kiwi Searancke on 27 June 2002. when he became the SRU's Head of Coach Development. He was to retain some input to the Warriors as he was to become official team manager offering advice to his successor. Glasgow's assistant Rob Moffat was to become Head Coach of the newly reformed
Border Reivers Border Reivers were Cattle raiding, raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border. They included both Scotland, Scottish and England, English people, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality.Hay, D. "E ...
. Searancke's reign at Glasgow was short-lived as it was felt he was overly critical of the players. This meant Dixon had to step in as caretaker in April 2003 when the New Zealander left the club. The caretaker role only lasted a few weeks as the club quickly settled on
Hugh Campbell Hugh Thomas Campbell (born May 21, 1941) is an American former professional football player, coach, and executive. He served as a head coach in three different football leagues: the Canadian Football League (CFL), United States Football League ...
as the new Glasgow Head Coach.


Border Reivers

As well as Head of Coach Development, Dixon was made Assistant Coach at
Border Reivers Border Reivers were Cattle raiding, raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border. They included both Scotland, Scottish and England, English people, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality.Hay, D. "E ...
in 2006. However, financial troubles caused the Borders club to fold in 2007.


SRU

Dixon held the SRU's coaching development role until 2009 when he fell victim to cost cutting.


Georgia

In 2010 he was to become the national coach of the Georgian rugby team and coached them at the World Cup. He was awarded the country's Honorary Order of Excellence by the President for services to rugby in Georgia.


World Rugby

In 2012 he became a project manager for
World Rugby World Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international competit ...
advising emergent countries. He has special remit for Georgia and Romania.


Honours


As a coach

* **
Five Nations Championship The Six Nations Championship (known as the Six Nations, branded as Guinness M6N) is an annual international rugby union competition by the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It is the oldest sports tournament contes ...
*** Runner-up:
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
** Centenary Quaich *** Winner:
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
,
1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...
*
Glasgow Warriors The Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and beca ...
**
Scottish Inter-District Championship The Scottish Inter-District Championship is a rugby union competition between regional sides in Scotland. Established in 1953, the tournament went through several formats. The Scottish Rugby Union confirmed in January 2023 that the Scottish Int ...
*** Winner: 1999-2000


References


External links


Richie Dixon on Andy Nicol
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, Richie 1947 births Living people Barbarian F.C. players Glasgow District (rugby union) players Glasgow Warriors coaches Jordanhill RFC players Rugby union players from the Scottish Borders Scotland 'B' international rugby union players Scotland national rugby union team coaches Scottish rugby union coaches Scottish rugby union players Georgia national rugby union team coaches Scotland international rugby union players