Crouch, touch ... engage | Raise a wee dram to departing exiles who leave the lion rampant in fine fettle

There has been a changing of the guard this summer up at The Rock in Shek Kip Mei with three key figures in the remarkable success story that is Hong Kong Scottish RFC having hung up their claymores and relinquished the old bagpipes.

Whilst the concept of a Scottish Exiles club in the Far East was the brain child of rugby legend Gavin Hastings – and without the support of London Scottish and the Scottish Rugby Union it would never have got off the ground – it was the commitment and determination of a key group of local enthusiasts who guided the club through their meteoric rise to an impressive second place in the HKRFU Premiership last season.

This rugby war council was led by veteran chieftain Stewart Saunders, the chairman whose passion could be seen every Saturday afternoon as he paced the touch line exhorting his warriors to victory and sharing in their triumphs and disappointments.

Alongside him was the club’s wily general manager Dave Whiteford, a former Scottish U20 international whose considerable contribution on the pitch was only dwarfed by his astute planning and tactical appreciation that underpinned the club’s campaigns over the past few seasons.

If Saunders was the Robert the Bruce and Whiteford the William Wallace of Hong Kong Scottish, the final member of this Braveheart triumvirate was a slightly deranged Irish bloke who kept stepping in and unexpectedly saving the day for the Scots.

Although not actually Irish, club captain Craig Wilson was converted to the Caledonian cause back in the UK – identified through the Scottish Exiles programme and representing them at age-grade level.

Craig arrived in Hong Kong to coach and play for Nomads Rugby Club in 2008, when they were in the fourth tier of Hong Kong rugby, and in partnership with then chairman Jason Collelo masterminded their progression to the second division in 2011 before assisting in the club’s transformation into Hong Kong Scottish in the Premiership the following season.