by Our Sports Desk

Scotland assistant coach Nathan Hines insisted yesterday that he has no problem with World Rugby selecting an Australian citing commissioner to run the rule over his players just days before they face the Wallabies.

Forwards Ross Ford and Jonny Gray could both miss this Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final clash with Australia after being charged with committing a dangerous tackle during last weekend’s final Pool B clash with Samoa.

Independent Citing Commissioner Scott Nowland was the man who took the decision to haul the Dark Blues pair before a World Rugby disciplinary hearing in London on Tuesday morning.

But that raised eyebrows from Scottish supporters, who fear Nowland may be doing his countrymen a favour before the crucial last-eight clash at Twickenham.

Former Scotland scrum-half Andy Nicol tweeted after the citing decision was announced on Monday: “Love the bit that Gray/Ford cited by ‘independent’ citing officer who comes from Australia! Who do we play on sun??”

But asked if he was worried about the part played by the Aussie commissioner, Dark Blues coach Hines — a former Scotland international who was himself born Down Under — said: “It’s not my concern, it’s World Rugby’s. He’s the citing commissioner. He saw something, put his report in, and now we wait and see what happens.

“He is neutral, isn’t he? He’s a professional. They are there to do a job. He thinks he has seen something.

“World Rugby have put him there because they are happy with his neutrality. That’s for them to sort out and not us.”