Scottish Rugby's search for a chief executive to replace Mark Dodson has been dealt a major blow.
Scotland Rugby News understands a preferred candidate for the job withdrew from the process at the 11th hour.
When he sat down with the media in April, Scottish Rugby chairman John McGuigan said he hoped Dodson's replacement would be confirmed by the end of May.
READ MORE: Scottish Rugby chairman says new CEO appointment imminent
It is understood officials at Scottish Rugby had been hopeful of appointing a successor to Dodson, who stood down earlier this year after 12 years in the role, by the end of the summer, at the latest.
The governing body will now begin its recruitment process again.
It is a significant blow to Scottish Rugby's plans of turning around a £10.5m deficit in the most recent financial year.
Meanwhile, McGuigan previously indicated the appointment of a new performance director to replace Jim Mallinder would wait until the new CEO had been selected.
“We’d want the new CEO to play their part in making the final decision on who they can work with, because the way these two people work together is going to be really critical," he said.
However, it is understood Scottish Rugby will press ahead to appoint a new performance director despite not having Dodson's replacement in place.
Scottish Rugby said it does not have specific timeframes in mind for either appointment.
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