Ireland ran in four tries against a poor Scottish team

The Scots' performance did not augur well for the forthcoming World Cup, with McGeechan preparing to name his squad for next month's trip to Australia on Tuesday.

The absence of top players Scott Murray, Tom Smith and skipper Bryan Redpath was painfully evident at times against the Irish, with a lack of penetration proving a particular problem.

But while the defeat provided an unhappy Murrayfield farewell for McGeechan, who stands down as Scotland coach after the World Cup, he insisted the game had swung on a controversial decision by referee Nigel Whitehouse shortly before half time.

With Scotland trailing 10-3, Whitehouse ruled that the ball had been knocked on in a ruck as Gordon Bulloch tried to touch down.

Television pictures appeared to show little wrong with the try, but Whitehouse chose not to ask the video referee for his verdict, denying the Scots the chance to level the scores before the interval.

"He should have gone to the video referee," moaned McGeechan, whose side face Japan and the United States in their World Cup group before massive games with France and Fiji.

"If you score at crucial times it can have a big effect on the game and that was a crucial time.

"Overall, I thought they were more clinical than us. You have to take your opportunities but I still feel we are on track."