Irvine appointed president of SRU

Former Scotland and Lions full-back Andy Irvine was last night elected president of the Scottish Rugby Union.

At the SRU’s annual general meeting at Murrayfield, Irvine was elected to the office in a secret ballot of club delegates, defeating the current senior vice-president George Blackie by 107 votes to 64.

Irvine, 53, won 51 caps for Scotland between 1972 and 1982 and toured three times with the British and Irish Lions - to South Africa in 1974 and 1980 and New Zealand in 1977.