Dave Collins, sacked as performance director of UK Athletics following last year’s Beijing Olympics, is seeking a return to sport with the Scottish Rugby Union.

Collins has applied for the new Director of Performance Rugby post while former England scrum-half and Wasps coach, Nigel Melville, is another linked with the position.

SRU chief executive Gordon McKie believes the new role will play a vital long-term benefit to the success of the Scottish team and will complement head coach Andy Robinson.

Whoever fills the position will be responsible for strategic development and the national academy and youth development squad. He will also be tasked with finding eligible overseas players who have the potential to play for Scotland

“Scottish Rugby is in good health and I believe that following the recent appointment of Andy Robinson as the Scotland head coach, the time is right to put in place a new structure for performance rugby,” said McKie.

"This will ensure Scottish Rugby maximises the opportunities for sustainable success for our pro and national teams.

“The new structure will be led by the director of performance rugby who will have responsibility for delivering the vision for performance rugby in Scotland."

Collins was considered a controversial appointment by UK Athletics and his methods were often criticised by former athletes.

The former Royal Marine, who played prop for both Northampton and Saracens, made no secret that rugby was his first love.

He wrote a book called ‘Tough Rugby’ and also has close links to Scotland – spending time as a professor of psychology at Edinburgh University.