RUGBY NEWS: Scottish executive board chairman David Mackay maintains Scotland's poor World Cup display was not the sole reason for the dismissal of Bill Watson as SRU chief executive yesterday.

Watson paid the price for an accumulation of problems, including the financial state of the game in Scotland and a lack of progress in developing players, with the termination of his contract.

SRU bank borrowings stand at £16 million while the World Cup year has meant a loss of £4.5 million in revenue from the autumn Test series. Watson also oversaw the controversial introduction of professional teams in Scotland with Glasgow and Edinburgh Rugby formed in 1998 before the arrival of The Borders last year.

Some club teams railed against the regional outfits with many coaches criticising the SRU.