Scotland have officially withdrawn from the running to co-host the 2015 Rugby World Cup after failing to reach an agreement with the four home unions.

The Scottish Rugby Union had initially expressed an interest in staging part of the tournament on the grounds that "a four home unions bid would be an exciting prospect for world rugby".

The Scottish Government had confirmed its willingness to underwrite an equitable proportion of the £80million tournament fee in return for Scotland hosting a pool and at least one quarter-final. But an agreement with the four home unions was not reached and Scotland have withdrawn from the International Rugby Board's tender process for both the 2015 and 2019 tournaments.

The Rugby Football Union are considering submitting their own bid for England to stage the 2015 World Cup and they are not prepared to enter into any formal co-hosting arrangement.

SRU chief executive Gordon McKie said: "We have always stated that we believe that a four home unions bid would have been a strong bid and one which would have been positively received by world rugby and indeed the IRB.

"During the review process, we have worked closely with the Scottish Government, who have offered every assistance and we are grateful for their support during the bid process.

"We plan to work with our Scottish partners to ensure that we are successful in hosting future international rugby and sporting events in Scotland."

Scottish Sports Minister Shona Robison said: "This government, in partnership with the national events agency, has done all it can to assist Scottish Rugby with its plans to be part of a bid for 2015, and it is unfortunate that this will no longer go ahead.

"However we will continue to work with the SRU and look forward to bringing other rugby events to Scotland in the future."