At the SRUs 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 Lions  to South Africa in 1974 and 1980 and New Zealand in 1977.

He said: I thank the clubs for their endorsement of my decision to stand for the post of president.

Their decision, coupled with the new corporate governance structure we now have in place, marks the start of a new era for Scottish rugby - an era that must be characterised by harmony with self-interest removed from the agenda.

As a nation we all have to pull together to promote the game.

The new Scottish Rugby Council, comprising representatives of clubs, districts, referees, schools, women and players, will meet for the first time and promoting the game will be uppermost in our thoughts.

Success at pro-team and international level is obviously highly desirable and must always be a major priority.

It is also of vital importance that we strengthen the domestic game in Scotland and generate greater player and spectator numbers.

I would especially like to see a significant increase in youngsters playing the game and, more importantly, persuade them to continue playing rugby into the senior ranks.