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Former Scotland and British & Irish Lions player Ken Scotland dies

By PA
Former players Jim Renwick (left) and Ken Scotland team up with former coach Ritchie Dixon (right) to watch the current crop of players training. (Photo by Jeff Holmes/SNS Group via Getty Images)

Former Scotland and British and Irish Lions full-back Ken Scotland has died at the age of 86, the Scottish Rugby Union has confirmed.

Scotland, who also represented his country at cricket, made his international rugby union debut in the 1957 Five Nations Championship against France.

He went on to make 27 appearances over the next eight years, and also played for Leicester Tigers, who named him in their ‘Team of the Century’ in 1999.

Scottish Rugby said it was “immensely saddened” by Scotland’s death, describing him as “a player ahead of his time, a true trailblazer.”

Scotland great Andy Irvine added: “Ken was undoubtedly one of the greatest players ever to grace the rugby field and was one of the nicest chaps you could ever meet.”