Ireland defeated Scotland convincingly at Murrayfield but their victory was not confirm that until the end as Scotland provided a stiff resistance.

The Irish scored three tries to none, with Jamie Heaslip and Eoin Reddan going over in the first half.

Ronan O’Gara scored and converted a try after the break to make it 21-9 to Ireland, but Scotland fought back.

Chris Paterson kicked 12 points while a drop-goal from replacement Dan Parks took Scotland to within three points.

But despite Scotland’s strong late rally, Ireland overcame their late jitters and showed discipline in the final minutes, something which had been lacking from their play for most of the match.

The money collected from criminals will help for Scottish rugby. A total of £3.65m from the proceeds of crime will be invested in rugby club activities and facilities over the next three years.

The funds will be administered through sportscotland’s capital grant scheme.

The move is part of the Scottish government’s CashBack for Communities scheme, which funds diversionary activities for young people.

Scottish Rugby will channel £2.4m of the funding towards enhancing playing and coaching opportunities for youngsters across all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities.

Scotland are aiming high to make it well in the Six Nations tournament that is going to be held soon. “Last year, we felt we underperformed,” said the head coach.

“Whilst we were pleased with how we played in patches in games, we didn’t deliver results. We made mistakes and were punished.

“If you look through history, Scotland have always been able to produce one-off performances. What we want is to be able to do it week after week.”

The Scots lost their first three games in the championship last season, Wales coming from 24-14 down five minutes from time to win, but avoided the wooden spoon by drawing with England and then beating Ireland in Dublin.

Edinburgh were defeated by Scarlets in the latest Scottish rugby union match. Tries from full-back Morgan Stoddart and centre Jonathan Davies combined with 11 points from fly-half Rhys Priestland were enough for the Welsh.

Talismanic full-back Chris Paterson notched all the hosts’ points courtesy of a converted try and three penalties.

However, Scarlets took the points to move up to second in the table.

It was the visitors who made the brighter start and they had an early try-scoring chance.

Glasgow Warriors are hoping for a better news regarding the knee injury of Graeme Morrison. The Scotland centre, 28, was carried off the Firhill pitch 13 minutes into Glasgow’s 1872 Cup first-leg win over Edinburgh, also a Magners League match.

“I don’t know how long he’s going to be out but I understand at the moment it’s weeks rather than months,” said Lineen.

“He’s a crucial player for us and for Scotland. I really feel for him.”

And the Warriors boss added: “He’s been playing really well for us, but he’ll get the best treatment and he’ll be back as soon as we can get him back.”

Many pundits have said that the new cash deal that has been signed by Scottish rugby is good for them. The Royal Bank of Scotland deal will range from sponsorship of the national team’s shirts after the Six Nations to a rebranding of the domestic leagues.

SRU chief executive Gordon McKie was delighted with the RBS involvement.

“Attracting such a high-profile brand is testimony to the hard work undertaken,” he said.

The three-and-a-half year sponsorship deal encompasses the game from grassroots to senior international level.

Scotland recorded a narrow win over Samoa in the rugby union. The hard-fought victory builds on the triumph over South Africa last weekend.

The physical Samoans scored the first try through Kahn Fotualii after quick thinking by George Pisi but Andy Robinson’s men responded strongly.

Dan Parks’ boot kept Scotland on top and Nikki Walker ran in a try before Jackson scored his late winning kick. Parks’ penalty in the third minute got the scoreboard moving, his 41st in Test matches dispatched with a familiar wallop from his right foot.

That helped to settle the home side at a bitterly cold Pittodrie against the Samoans, five places behind the sixth-placed Scots in the IRB rankings.

The emphasis in the build-up to this final autumn Test was one of caution and determination, head coach Andy Robinson constantly urging his players to forget about last week’s win over world champions South Africa and to focus instead on building consistency.

Scotland are about to face Ireland and Italy in International friendlies next year. Ireland visit Murrayfield on Saturday 6 August, with the Italians travelling to Edinburgh a fortnight later. Fans can already buy England Rugby Tickets for their upcoming fixture.

Scotland’s first game at the World Cup in New Zealand is against a yet to be determined play-off winner in Invercargill on 10 September 2011.

The other countries Scotland will be up against in their pool are England, Argentina and Georgia.

Gary Parker says that he is upbeat despite Scotland Women Rugby Union’s defeat. Wednesday’s defeat means the Scots missed out on a play-off place for fifth place and face Ireland in a play-off for seventh and eighth.

“We’ve only been together as a squad for eight months and are a developing side,” said Scotland coach Parker.

“If we can finish seventh, it will be a big achievement for this squad and give us a platform to build on.”

The Scots had already lost to the Canadians as they finished third in the opening group games.

Scotland Rugby Union team manager Guy Richardson will step down from his role following more than six years at the helm. The 45-year-old former army major, who also worked as logistics manager for the 2009 British and Irish Lions, plans to stay involved in rugby.

Richardson’s role with the Scottish Rugby Union included overseeing the administrative and management support for all national teams plus Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh.

The Scotland Rugby Union expect to name Richardson’s replacement before their next fixture, against New Zealand at Murrayfield, on the weekend of November 13-14.

“The work that Guy and his team have put into Scottish Rugby over the last few years has been hugely appreciated by the players,” said head coach Andy Robinson.

“We wish him well in his new role and we will be considering the recruitment process for his successor over the next few weeks.”