Scott James Macleod joined Edinburgh in January 2009 from Scarlets in a deal that will see him stay in the Scottish capital until at least 2011. He has quickly established himself as a reliable customer in the second row, and returned to the Scotland fold on the tour of Argentina in summer 2010.

A skilful lock and set piece specialist, Macleod made his Edinburgh debut as a replacement away at Munster in the Magners League in February 2009 after featuring in back-up matches against Crawshay’s Welsh and Leinster.

With Scotland, Macleod made his first RBS Six Nations Championship start in the victory over England at Murrayfield in February 2006. His next Six Nations start was not until two years later against Ireland at Croke Park, his 17th international, and in his next Test, two weeks later at Murrayfield, he again savoured victory in the Calcutta Cup fixture.

Two months later he was in the Scotland team who won a full-international in Argentina for the first time. Scott made his first senior appearance for Scotland on the 2004 summer tour of Australia, playing against Queensland Reds, New South Wales Country and New South Wales Waratahs and scoring a try in the second of those games. He was rewarded for his efforts on tour by winning his first full international cap against Australia at Murrayfield in the 2004 Abbey Autumn Tests, becoming the 57th player from the Hawick club to play for Scotland.

After a long lay-off with an ankle injury he made his international comeback off the bench in Scotland’s victory over France in the opening game of the 2006 Six Nations. His World Cup debut also was in France, when he played as a replacement in the St Etienne victory against Portugal, and he went on to play in all four of Scotland’s other matches, starting against New Zealand. He has also played at A international level, making his debut in Scotland’s win against Italy at McDiarmid Park, Perth, in February 2007.

Scott was introduced to rugby at the age of 21, having previously been a keen golfer and basketball player. He joined Hawick Trades before going on to play for Hawick, with whom he won the BT Cellnet Cup in 2002 and from whom he joined The Borders professional team when it was set up that same year. Scott, who represented the Borders at under-21 level, left Border Reivers to join Llanelli Scarlets for the 2006-2007 season and made his debut for the West Wales team on the visit to Ulster on the opening weekend of the Magners League.