Great Scott becomes Heineken Cup Final Ambassador

Former Scotland and Bath skipper Nicol blazed the trail for Heineken Cup Final ambassadors in 2004/05 when he took on the task for the 2005 Edinburgh final. Since then a number of the modern game's greatest names have followed suit.

And as the Heineken Cup final returns to the Scottish capital on 23/24 May 2009 it is another great Scot, Scott Hastings, who will fill the role for the the 14th Heineken Cup campaign - Edinburgh 2009.

Unlike Nicol, who was the first non-French captain to hold aloft the Heineken Cup, Hastings never managed to reach a Heineiken Cup final. But the 43-year-old does hold the distinction of leading the first Scottish team into action in the tournament back in October, 1996.

Then he was captain of Edinburgh, who were the first Scottish team into action in what was the second season of the competition, although it wasn't the most auspicious of starts at Bath, where the home team led by Andy Robinson ran out convincing winners.

Having got a first-hand taste of the Heineken Cup in its early days, Hastings has more recently been involved with the competition as a commentator for Sky Sports and is relishing the prospect of getting involved in this season's event.

Once Scotland's most capped player with 65 appearances for his country - 51 of which were in tandem with elder brother Gavin, who made his debut with him against France in 1986 - he played in three World Cups, went on two British & Irish Lions tours and was at the heart of the Scottish Grand Slam campaign in 1990.

In 1989 he played in nine of the 11 games on the Lions' tour of Australia, including the final two Test matches that clinched the series. He played with Gavin in those two games to become the first set of brothers to play together in a Test for the Lions.

When Gavin was chosen to lead the 1993 Lions to New Zealand, Scott was in the squad, although his tour was cut short by a facial injury that forced him to return home a week before the Test series began.

He spent two years as a full-time professional player with Edinburgh Reivers before seeing out his career with Watsonians, finally retiring from competitive rugby in 2002 after 19 seasons and more than 200 games for his club.

In 1999 he joined brother Gavin at event management company Hastings International. The company were taken over by Platium One the sports event company two and half years ago where Scott manages manages sponsorship programmes and events in rugby and golf.

He is heavily invovled in the media, writing occasionally for the Sunday Times and providing rugby commentary for a number of broadcasters. Scott is married to Jenny and has two children, Corey and Kerry Anne.

Heineken Cup Final Ambassadors

Edinburgh 2005: Andy Nicol; Cardiff 2006: Ieuan Evans; London 2007: Austin Healey; Cardiff 2008: Scott Quinnell; Edinburgh 2009: Scott Hastings.