Scotland's Bitcon bites the bullet
Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:13
Former Glasgow fitness coach Mark Bitcon has joined top Premiership club Gloucester as head of strength and conditioning.
The 29-year-old has a wealth of experience at club and international level, having previously worked for London Wasps, the Scotland team as well as his current stint with the Glasgow Warriors.
Bitcon is currently head of elite strength and conditioning for Scottish Rugby.
"I'd like to thank everybody at the Scottish Rugby for their great support and hard work over the last three years. I would particularly like to thank Frank and all the national management team for making my time at Scottish Rugby so enjoyable," Bitcon told the Glasgow Warriors website.
"I believe the Scotland squad are in tremendous shape and can look forward to the new season with great optimism.
"There aren't many jobs in rugby that I would have considered moving for, but the chance to get back to the week-to-week pressures of club rugby for a side like Gloucester who aim to be challenging at the highest levels in Europe was too good to turn down.
"I can't wait to get stuck into the players next month," he added.
Scotland head coach Frank Hadden admitted the Scottish fraternity would miss Bitcon's resources, but wished him well in his endeavors.
"We are obviously disappointed to be losing Mark however we recognise that this is a great opportunity for him to further develop his career," Hadden said.
"Mark has played a significant role at Scottish Rugby and his contribution to the preparation of the national team has been considerable. We wish him every success with his new role," he added.
