An outspoken Australian and a former England number eight on temporary contracts have overseen a transformation in a Scotland rugby side who now have a chance of winning the Six Nations championship for the first time.
Scott Johnson, a coaching nomad who has worked in his native Australia and with Wales and the United States, was appointed interim head coach in succession to Andy Robinson after a humiliating loss to Tonga in November.
He subsequently combined forces with Dean Ryan, who has taken a 12-week sabbatical from his duties as a television pundit to coach the forwards.
The outcome has been victories over Italy and Ireland following a spirited performance in a losing cause in the first round against England with a home game against Wales and a trip to France to follow.
Scotland have always been a force in British rugby and were consistently the best of the four home teams at the time of the first World Cup in 1987, three years before their remarkable grand slam win over England.
However, since the professional era began in 1995, they have fallen off the pace and have not won the northern hemisphere championship since the Five Nations became Six at the turn of the century.