NORTH Berwick rugby ace Megan Gaffney admitted she was "really disappointed", as Scotland Women fell to World Cup qualifier heartbreak in Spain last weekend.

Gaffney started both matches in a two-legged play off against Spain, which Scotland lost 20-15 on aggregate and missed out on a place at the Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland.

Following a 10-5 defeat at Scotstoun in the first leg, Gaffney and her colleagues travelled to Madrid knowing they needed a first competitive victory in more than five years to qualify.

They fell just short, losing 15-10 despite tries from Gaffney's wing colleague Rhona Lloyd and scrum-half Sarah Law.

Gaffney admitted the squad was bitterly disappointed.

The North Berwick ace, who turned 25 on Saturday, told Courier Sport: "It was really disappointing.

"I think losing the first game was a huge blow because we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to win in Madrid and we maybe forced things a little bit."

Reflecting on the first game, where the Scots, coached by Shade Munro, Gaffney rued mistakes at crucial times.

The hosts enjoyed the majority of possession and territory, but crossed just once through second row Debbie McCormack.

Gaffney, a former North Berwick High School pupil, added: "There were just little things – the last pass or the next ruck – that didn't quite go our way."

She was, though, keen to stress the improvements made by Munro since he took over as head coach in June 2015.

"He treats us like professionals and we're getting more support from Scottish Rugby – we've got an analyst now which allows us to review our games, and an S&C [strength and conditioning] coach.

"Already I think the performances have definitely been better but it's about building on that."

Despite defeat, the 20-cap winger was proud of the effort, and believes the young squad are moving in the right direction.

She said: "We had four debutants during the two Spain games and we've got a pretty young back line, but I think it shows we're improving.

"Spain are ranked a few places above us, but we were not far away from them."