Scotland coach Ian McGeechan will step down after the 2003 World Cup and succeed Jim Telfer as the Scottish Rugby Union's director of rugby.

Telfer will retire from his post following the tournament in Australia next year.

McGeechan is the only man to have coached three successive British and Irish Lions tours and he steered Scotland to the Grand Slam in 1990.

Among McGeechan's other notable acheivements was a fourth place finish for Scotland at the 1991 Rugby World Cup.

I hope that Scottish rugby is moving forward at all levels SRU director of rugby Jim Telfer

The coaches of Scotland's three professional teams are likely to be among the candidates to replace McGeechan.

Scotsman Ian Rankin is in charge of Edinburgh, while New Zealand duo Kiwi Searanke and Tony Gilbert are at the helm at Glasgow and The Borders, respectively.

McGeechan said: "At this stage we do not have a specific candidate in mind but my successor will be someone who has vast experience of professional rugby and coaching at the highest levels of the game."

Telfer has been at the forefront of SRU innovations such as the emergence of the professional sides.

But he conceded that the time had come to hand over the reins to McGeechan.

Telfer said: "At the end of the World Cup in 2003, I will have been in post for 10 years and so it seems a natural time to step down.

Jim Telfer is to retire

"I have been privileged to have been involved directly with some of the most dramatic changes in the union game in Scotland.

"I hope that Scottish rugby is moving forward at all levels with confidence."

McGeechan, played 32 times for Scotland, captaining the side on nine occasions.

He then went on to coach Scotland from 1988 to 1993 after a two year stint as assistant.

A five year spell at Northampton ended with a return to the Scotland fold, to work alongside Telfer at the 1999 World Cup.

McGeechan first coached the Lions in the successful tour of Australia in 1989, before losing the 1993 series in New Zealand.

In 1997 he masterminded a 2-1 Lions win over South Africa.

Most recently, McGeechan led Scotland to their first ever clean sweep in an Autumn series with November wins over Romania, South Africa and Fiji.