James Gordon Thompson joined Edinburgh from the National Academy in the summer of 2008 and has gone from strength to strength ever since. The silky full-back, who can also operate on the wing or in midfield, is one of the hottest properties in Scottish rugby and toured Argentina in summer 2010 alongside his cousin Rory Lawson.
Thompson's family tree is filled with famous names. His father is the TV racing presenter Derek, his uncle is the former Scotland scrum-half Alan Lawson, and Bill McLaren, the late, great BBC rugby commentator, was his grandfather.
Thompson's first start for Edinburgh came at Ulster in October 2008, and he soon proved to be a competent understudy to both Chris Paterson and Hugo Southwell, the other full-backs in the squad.
A composed player, capable of slipping through opposing defences, Thompson went onto make his first Heineken Cup start at Leinster in January 2009.
His first taste of senior international rugby was at full-back in the Scotland team who beat Ireland in the club international at Meggetland in March 2007.
The following season he added to international honours with selection in the Scotland 7s squad and he went on to be one of the team’s star players on the IRB World Sevens circuit before Edinburgh and other representative commitments took over. Thompson was in the Scottish Thistles’ squad who won the Melrose club’s 125th anniversary sevens in 2008.
The following June, Thompson was an ever present for Scotland ‘A’ at full-back during the victorious IRB Nations Cup campaign in Bucharest, scoring two tries in the match against Russia.
In the following game against Uruguay, he featured alongside cousin Rory for the first time.
