By Murray Macleod
Pupils at the Nicolson Institute in Stornoway who have been selected for special tuition based on their rubgy-playing potential got an end-of-term surprise last week after a visit from Scottish internationalist Rory Lamont.
The Glasgow Warriors professional, who has re-joined his first club after spells in England and France, came to Lewis to promote the "School of Rugby" programme.
Under the Scottish Rugby Union initiative, 17 schools have been chosen to develop the programme, whereby certain pupils receive an additional five hours of rugby tuition per week as part of their school curriculum, with the intention of honing the sport's future professionals.
Rory Lamont gave the pupils advice on nutrition and skills training, as well as a question and answer session which gave the youngsters a taste of life as a professional sportsman.
"It was fantastic to spend the day with the pupils at the Nicolson Institute, to see and hear first-hand the passion they have for rugby," he said.
"I know from my experiences with both the Warriors and Scotland that people in places like the Western Isles go to great lengths to support us and it’s great to be able to give something back and thank them for their dedication."
He added: "The Schools of Rugby programme is a great vehicle for getting kids involved in and learning about the sport and I was impressed by the knowledge and game understanding that came through in some of the questions they were asking me."
Nicolson PE teacher Darren Beattie, who oversees the programme at the school, commented: "It was great for the kids to have a top athlete of the standing of Rory Lamont at the school. It's the sort of thing that can aspire them into the future and maybe even encourage them to become a professional rugby player themselves."