A PAIR of county rugby stars spoke of their disappointment, after falling to last-gasp defeats while on Scotland duty at the weekend.

Callum Hunter-Hill, from Gullane, captained Scotland U20 against their Irish counterparts on Friday evening, and was joined in the side by former Loretto School pupil Craig Pringle and Cameron Hutchison, from North Berwick.

An early try by U20 debutant Hutchison put Scotland in front, before Ireland stormed back, with a late try by lock Fineen Wycherley and conversion from Johnny McPhillips sealing a 19-20 win.

Immediately post-match, Hunter-Hill told Courier Sport: “We’re disappointed – it’s a game we should have won. Credit to Ireland, they’re a good team and they were street smart [and] knew what they were doing.

“There is a lot of stuff we can work on and a lot of positives to take.”

The lock, who is currently on loan at London Scottish, admitted it was a “real honour” to lead his country.

He added: “Yeah, 100 per cent it was a proud night for me.

“Hopefully we get the win next time.”

Meanwhile, Gaffney, from North Berwick, won her 21st cap but was unable to prevent Ireland snatching a 21-15 victory at Broadwood Stadium.

Scotland scored two tries in a match for the first time in five years, both through Jade Konkel, but an 81st-minute try by centre Jenny Murphy won the game for the visitors.

The 25-year-old told Courier Sport she was “gutted” by the result, but praised her colleagues for their performance.

She said: “We were right there and we lost it in the last minute.

“We have to look at the positives and see how far we’ve come in the last few years. We just have to find that 80-minute performance.”

The Scots squandered a number of scoring chances, and Gaffney is keen to see them develop that as the Championship progresses.

The former North Berwick High School pupil said: “We’re getting the chances now – we’ve not had them in the last few years.

“It’s just about the control and the composure and we’ll be fine.”

Both the U20 and women sides now face France today (Friday).