Former Ayr rugby coach awarded retrospective Scotland Cap

Craig Redpath, who works for South Ayrshire Council and is a former head coach of Marr  and Ayr rugby clubs, received cap number 1,196 at a ceremony at Murrayfield Stadium.

The 54-year-old is the uncle of current Scotland international Cameron Redpath, who won his 12th cap in the Calcutta Cup win over England on February 24, and the elder brother of former Scotland captain Bryan Redpath.

Craig appeared for a Scotland XV in a tour match against Tonga in June 1993, which the Scots won 23-5.

Born in Galashiels, Craig spent his club playing career with Melrose, with whom he won five national titles between 1987 and 1999.

At the time the Tonga match, played at the Teufaiva Stadium in Nukuʻalofa, did not have Test match status, but the Scottish Rugby Union decided last year to award full Test caps to more than 50 players who had represented their country in games that weren't treated as Test matches at the time.

Craig was also among the unused replacements in the Scotland squad for one of the most memorable games in the country's history - the 1990 Five Nations match against England at Murrayfield which the Scots won 13-7 to clinch the nation's third, and most recent, Grand Slam.

After his playing career drew to a close, he coached Ayr Rugby Club from 2003 to 2008 and Marr Rugby from 2009-23, winning the Premiership title with the Troon club in 2022.

Craig said: "It was a bit of a surprise to find out I was going to receive my Scotland cap more than 30 years after playing against Tonga.

"Now that I have been presented with it, I realise how fortunate and an honour it was to represent Scotland."

Mike Newall, chief executive of South Ayrshire Council, said: "This is a tremendous achievement and I'm delighted for Craig that this has been recognised.

"Craig's had a fantastic sporting career and it's been a privilege to hear first-hand about his memories and experiences."