Send your tributes, and your nominations for who should replace him.

Ian McGeechan announced on Tuesday that he will end his tenure as Scotland's rugby coach after next autumn's World Cup.

He will go on to succeed Jim Telfer as the Scottish Rugby Union's director of rugby.

Aside from winning the Grand Slam in 1990, he is also the only man to have coached three successive British and Irish Lions tours.

Early candidates to succeed him include Edinburgh coach Ian Rankin and New Zealanders Kiwi Searanke and Tony Gilbert.

Who will be the best person to take Scotland forward?

This debate is now closed. A selection of your e-mails appears below.

If Paxton, Lineen or Tait are involved at any level at least some of Geech's (and Telfer's) legacy will be retained in the lessons they learned from him. As well as that, the squad will be handed over in great shape.

And I hope 'Martin, England' has a couple of busbys in his hat collection.
John, Scotland

I think Scotland should look abroad to New Zealand or Australia. These countries do well with relatively small player pools. Some of the structure and ideas could work in Scotland as well.
Ham, England

Ian McGeechan is vastly admired in New Zealand as a former British Lion and regular visitor with Scottish teams. His unabashed enthusiasm for the game and his excellent work with so many teams and players have passed into legend.

Well done Ian. See you out this way first chance you get. You'll be very welcome. Your contribution to positive attacking rugby has been truly enormous.
Dave Smith, New Zealand

Geech and Telfer are an awesome act to follow. I speak as an Englishman and a Brit. Living with the Lions '97 is a video that could inspire anybody to want to play rugby. When will we see knighthood's bestowed upon the deserving in the rugby world...?
Joe, England

I do believe Scottish rugby is making some good decisions for the long term. Super Teams is the right strategy!! Getting the very best coaches for these teams is right, whether they are from NX England or anywhere is right. For Scotland to succeed we have to have the very best people throughout the whole organisation top to bottom.

This will start to bring some good results, which will spread through to the lower levels of Rugby. Telfer and McGeechan have been superb for Scotland over the years, we must make sure whoever takes over takes the team and Scottish rugby further forward to be able to compete with the best.
James Rattray, Scotland

As a life long Scotland and Northampton Saints supporter I would like to thank Ian for everything he has done for rugby, it down to him that we have fantastic players like Budge Poutney. I wish him all the very best in his retirement.
Cath, England

Sad that Geech is going, but I worry that we'll miss Jim Telfer more. McGeechan would be first to recognise the significance of Telfer on his own coaching career. JT has repeatedly put out ball-winning packs whose fast-rucking game has invariably given McGeechan's backs a platform most teams can only dream of.

I would like to see someone come in who can give the players a sense of heritage. Brad Johnstone or another tough-as-teak Kiwi would be my preference, maybe Wayne Smith at Northampton. It would be great to see Paxton and Lineen involved, as there are many respected voices who think them the most innovative coaches in our game. They certainly inspire respect as two great former players, and that works heavily in their favour.

Whoever is appointed, we should acknowledge that we have been blessed to have had McGeechan and Telfer's good cop/bad cop routine, and that it was our good fortune and not our natural birth right to produce such heavyweights.
Woody, UK

Ian McGeechan is and has been a fine coach, making the most of very limited resources. It is with his work with the Lions that we have seen him at his finest. With a pool of quality players at his disposal he was able to devise a plan to beat the vaunted Springboks. It was a great shame that he was not available for the last tour instead of Graham Henry; I think results would have been considerably different.
Steve, UK

What a team Geech has set himself up for his final season! He has left the new coach with a brilliant team to work on. Young and incredibly talented. We may not have the same strength as England, but we definitely have the skill. Our forwards are excellent and our front row must be one of the best in the world.

Well done Geech for finishing with such a good team and thank you for the last decade with Scotland and the Lions
David, Scotland

Wide-ranging speculation regarding McGeechan's successor is to an extent pointless. It is inevitable that the position will be filled by someone from within the current Scotland international set-up or from one of the three pro teams. Three months ago Tony Gilbert at the Borders started saying he wouldn't be interested if the position became available - I just wonder!

McGeechan (and Telfer) have done a fantastic job. Undoubtedly if he had accepted the position of England coach when offered to him on a number of occasions in the past, England (with their superior player resources) would be long established and unassailable as world champions. It would be great if fans' favourite Alan Tait could be given a more conspicuous role than his current helping-out with the backs.
Niall David, Scotland

McGeechan's a good coach, but it doesn't much matter who replaces him. Little will be expected, and little will be delivered.

There'll always be a few good results, but Scotland don't have the quality available to consistently achieve top-level performances.

Win the World Cup? If that happens I'll eat every hat I've ever owned, and then move on to the hats of my friends and family.
Martin, England

I think that it is time for a new manger to bring fresh ideas into the squad and look to bring new players to make the competition for places enormous which would most likely bring the performance of the present players.

Scotland's best bet is to try and appoint someone who can drastically make our performance up to the same standard as England.
Peter Ash, England

Thanks McGeechan for 1990 and for rejecting the England job every time they offered it to you! In terms of replacements, I'd go for Ian Rankin or Sean Lineen.

However, in response to 'Chris from England' I would say that as proud as I am to be British I don't think an English coach would be acceptable for a Scottish rugby team.
Jonathan, Scotland

McGeechan is quite simply a legend in his own right. The passion, pride and most of all knowledge he brings to the game is inspiring to man and boy.
Mark, Italy

The next incumbent must be a foreign coach, as the comments from Donny illustrate. Until horizons are raised then there cannot be any real progress. How about Nigel Melville from Gloucester who has overcome many similar blinkered problems in the South West?
Chris, England

Geech and Telfer will be a hard act to follow. For years, Scotland has punched above its weight internationally because we've had some of the best coaches in the world. Hopefully next year's World Cup will see them go out with a bang.

I'd like to think that the Lineen/Paxton combination will one day coach Scotland, but to do that, they'll need experience of coaching a pro team. It's too early for Tony Gilbert to take over - it'll take him maybe three seasons to make the Borders a force to be reckoned with in European rugby.

So my dream team would be Brad Johnstone, a Telfer-esque presence at Head Coach; Todd Blackadder as forwards coach; and Rob Moffat and the great Alan Tait coaching the backs.

But whoever replaces them, Geech and Telfer will go down as the national team's greatest ever coaching team.
Stead, Scotland

I think that Ian Rankin should become the new Scotland coach as he has turned Edinburgh's fortunes around this year and I'm sure he can do the same job for Scotland and carry on this good form!
Mark Brodie, Scotland

I think that Ian Rankin should take become the new Scotland coach as he has turned Edinburgh Rugby's fortunes around this year, and I'm sure he can do the same job for Scotland and carry on this good form!
Mark Brodie, Scotland

Bearing in mind the lack of resources at his disposal, his record with Scotland and the Lions is second to none. The man is a Scottish sporting legend and I agree with him, Scotland have the potential and capability to win the World Cup next year. What a way to bow out.
Jig, China

McGeechan will be fondly remembered by Scottish fans. But perhaps, like the Scottish football team, it is time to bring in a fresh perspective by appointing a foreign coach. I believe this offers the best chance to quickly realise every Scottish fan's dream - beating England at Twickenham!
Donny, Scotland