Ken Scotland

Kenneth James Forbes Scotland (29 August 1936 – 7 January 2023) was a Scotland international rugby union player and a Scotland international cricket player. He played at full-back in rugby union.

Rugby Union career

Amateur career Scotland was educated at George Heriot's School, Edinburgh, and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read history and economics after completing two years National Service with the Royal Signals at Catterick Garrison (and where he played 13 times for the Army as well as for other army representative sides). Having struggled with the Latin component of his Cambridge entrance exam, he then ran into further trouble when he had a disastrous trial for Cambridge University R.U.F.C., and it was claimed he lost his form all that autumn and as a result was only third choice for the university, despite being first choice full back for the Scottish team. In 1963, work took Scotland to Edinburgh and he left Leicester after 40 games and 240 points. On 1 November 1999, Scotland was named in the Tigers' "Team of the Century", despite only playing 40 games in 18 months for the club.

Provincial career After moving to Aberdeen, Ken Scotland played for Aberdeenshire, and for the North and Midlands district team. he played for 34 different teams. These included London Scottish FC, Heriot's FP and Ballymena.

Richard Bath writes of him that:

"Like Gavin Hastings against France nearly three decades later, Ken Scotland started his international career on a high note, scoring all six points in his country's win over France. Yet although Scotland made a huge impact when he won his first cap aged 19, it could all have been so different. Until circumstances caused his selection at full-back at for the Scottish Trial earlier that year, Scotland had always played fly-half. That experience of playing fly-half added another dimension to his game, and he soon emerged as the first true attacking full-back in an age where a safety-first attitude and a large boot were the most important attributes for any No. 15... Novel at the time, it is now the staple diet of attacking full-backs the world over."

But on the other hand, Scotland missed three penalty kicks against in the 1962 Calcutta Cup match.

Cricket career Scotland also played for the Scottish national cricket team. He played one first-class match for Scotland, against Ireland in 1958, scoring no runs in his only innings and not bowling.

Tributes Scotland was said to revolutionise the position of full back in rugby union, by popularising strike running from that position. He was to make the full back role a glamour rugby union position. He would join back line moves to create an extra man in attack.

The Offside Line writes:

Allan Massie (who attended Trinity College, Cambridge, at the same time as Scotland) puts him in a class with Jackie Kyle, Mike Gibson and Barry John,

Later life and death Ken Scotland published his autobiography in 2020. He died from cancer on 7 January 2023, at the age of 86.