John Thorburn (Hawick) has today withdrawn from the contest to succeed Andy Irvine as President of the Scottish Rugby Union. Thorburn consulted with clubs who had supported his nomination before reaching his decision then informed SRU secretary Graham Ireland this afternoon.John Thorburn (Hawick) has today withdrawn from the contest to succeed Andy Irvine as President of the Scottish Rugby Union. Thorburn consulted with clubs who had supported his nomination before reaching his decision then informed SRU secretary Graham Ireland this afternoon. Thorburn said: “When I was approached by my club, Hawick, and nominated to stand for the post of President I was honoured and humbled. “I was also at the time at risk of redundancy from my full-time job as business manager of the now defunct Border Reivers. “I am now no longer at risk of redundancy having accepted another position within Scottish Rugby. Having consulted with clubs who supported my nomination I believe that a potential conflict of interest could exist between being a member of staff and serving as SRU President. “I will be calling on the Standing Working Party on Governance to address this potential conflict of interest but, in the meantime, I have decided to stand down from the presidential contest. “I wish to thank those clubs who supported me and also wish the best of luck to the three remaining candidates for the presidency – Peter Brown, George Jack and Jim Stevenson.” SRU clubs will decide who succeeds Andy Irvine at the Union’s agm on Friday 29 June. Thorburn begins his new job as Member Services Co-ordinator, working directly with rugby clubs as the main point of contact at Murrayfield on a daily basis, next Monday (11 June).