Scott Donald Gray scored his first international try only six minutes after he had taken the field as a replacement in Scotland’s 26-6 win against Italy in the 2009 RBS Six Nations Championship match at Murrayfield. He played in four of the five matches in that championship, making his 6NC start in the final match, the Twickenham game against England.

Scott started his first Scotland game at blind-side flanker in the opening match of the 2004 Abbey Autumn Tests against Australia. At that time he was with Border Reivers, but it was only after he had joined Northampton Saints four years later that he had his second cap and Murrayfield debut, when he played as a replacement in the Bank of Scotland Corporate Autumn Test against New Zealand at Murrayfield. Further replacement appearances followed in the other matches in that November series against South Africa and Canada as well as the four 6NC games before his Twickenham start.

Before his 2004 debut against Australia he had played in two of the midweek games on that summer tour (versus New South Wales Country and New South Wales Waratahs, scoring a try against the former). He played in all three matches for Scotland A in the Barclays Churchill Cup in Canada in June 2006, and he continued in that team for the Perth match against Australia A five months later. Scott has represented Scotland A a further two times in February 2010.

Scott moved from his native Zimbabwe to Australia as an 18-year-old and played in Canberra for a year. He then spent two years in the ACT Brumbies academy before winning a training contract in Brisbane with the aim of playing Super 12 rugby. He switched code to league and had a stint with the Brisbane Broncos before moving to English premiership club Bath. After spells with Border Reivers and Doncaster Knights he returned to English rugby’s top fight when he joined Northampton Saints in summer 2008. His Guinness Premiership debut for the Franklin’s Gardens club was marked by earning the man-of-the-match award in the home win against Worcester.

Scott, a former pupil of Peterhouse School in Marondera, near Harare, qualifies for Scotland through his father, Donald John Gray, who was born in Barrhead.