KEY POINTS:
This time next year Pat Lam and Todd Blackadder are likely to be respectively in charge of the Blues and Crusaders.
The two men share some common traits; they were dogged loose forwards in their playing days. They were revered for their leadership and for their honesty. They
were dedicated team men.
But Lam and Blackadder also share another common bond - both men got their first major coaching break with Scotland.
It was a curious place to start but Lam and Blackadder know that their time in Scotland was vital in pushing them to where they are now - the verge of the two biggest coaching assignments in New Zealand outside the All Blacks.
For Lam, the opportunity came purely by chance. The one-time All Black joined Newcastle in 1997 and went on to captain the side to their only Premiership title.
He was also named the league's player of the year and, when he headed to play for Samoa in June 1998, he got a call from his agent to say he had been transferred to Northampton.
He wasn't best pleased. He loved Newcastle. His kids were at school there and he wanted to lead a successful defence.
But Northampton had offered a record transfer fee to the club and a serious pay rise to Lam.
Northampton had broken the bank because their coach Ian McGeechan believed Lam had the potential to transform the club from being a close-but-no-cigar side to champions.
In Lam, McGeechan saw an on-field leader who could also play a major role coaching the side. The two men became close, sharing a vision about how the game should be played and how it should be coached.
At the end of 1999 McGeechan, who is expected to be named as Lions coach for the fourth time this week, left Northampton to replace Jim Telfer at the helm of Scotland.
Lam stayed on, leading Northampton to second place in the league and then in 2000, to Heineken Cup glory. McGeechan's instincts about Lam had been right and when Northampton unexpectedly announced in February 2001 they would not be renewing their skipper's contract, Scotland had a new assistant.
Lam was brought into the Scottish set-up on what can only be described as a genuine apprenticeship. McGeechan felt his prodigy could work closely with the loose forwards but also host one on ones and help develop game-plans.
It was invaluable learning for Lam yet the real education had come in those informal settings. Lam's family were based in Auckland and he would stay with McGeechan during the Six Nations and other international windows.
It was the late night chats over a glass of whisky where the rugby knowledge seeped in and by the time McGeechan shuffled upstairs to become director of rugby in 2004, Lam was ready to pursue his coaching career in New Zealand.
In one of those quirks of fate, the man who succeeded him as assistant Scotland coach was Todd Blackadder.
The former All Black captain had joined Edinburgh in October 2001 and was an instant hero. By 2004 his dicky shoulder was playing up and like Lam, he was combining a coaching and playing role with the capital club.
He was doing it well enough that when former New South Wales coach Matt Williams succeeded McGeechan with the national team, Blackadder was added to the staff as forwards coach.
It was a torrid time for Scotland. Williams didn't connect with the players and they amassed only three wins in the 17 games the Australian was in charge.
As much as the players were disillusioned by Williams, they were inspired by Blackadder. The New Zealander was massively respected for his unwavering professionalism and ability to keep things uncluttered.
He delivered simple messages and he grew into his role. Williams was sacked in April 2005 and replaced by Edinburgh head coach Frank Hadden.
Blackadder was asked if he would like to replace Hadden and he jumped at the chance, believing he could only do the job justice if he dropped his involvement with the Scottish national team.
What appealed to Blackadder was the opportunity to make a difference - to work with players who didn't have the rugby grounding those in the New Zealand system had.
He loved the challenge of working with limited financial resources, of being the underdog and trying to squeeze everything out of a willing group. Like Lam, it was all done with a view to taking his skills back to New Zealand and progressing through the system.
And so the symmetry continues. Blackadder is the favourite to succeed Robbie Deans at the Crusaders and Lam the likely successor to David Nucifora at the Blues.
Scotland hasn't had much to be proud of in recent seasons but there will be a few glasses raised in early July if the nation can lay claim to doing their bit in having built two of the most influential figures in New Zealand rugby.
