Scott Hastings hailed by Watsonians - 'his legacy is his kindness'

Tributes to the legendary centre have been flooding in from ex-teammates, broadcasting colleagues and more since his death at the age of 61 following a battle with cancer. In a stellar playing career, which resulted in him being inducted into the Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame, he represented his country as well as the British & Irish Lions with distinction.

However, it was Myreside where Hastings laid the foundations for all the caps and honours that he earned throughout his career. He was, after all, a Watsonian through and through.

“He meant everything to us” - Watsonian FC president leads tributes to ‘tremendous ambassador’ Scott Hastings

"He meant everything to us,” said current Watsonian FC president John McLellan. “He was obviously one of our greatest players but also a tremendous ambassador for the club.

“He was fully engaged with the club right up to the last few weeks. He was looking forward to working on the various things we were trying to develop to keep the club moving forward with his customary enthusiasm.

“He was the face of Watsonians. So many people knew Scott and everybody knew that Watsonians really mattered to him too.

"He was down here for a family day at the start of the season and there was an army of youngsters around him, he was having a laugh with the kids. They were listening to his stories and he was showing them his Lions cap and there were some wonderful pictures of these kids, absolutely enthralled by this man. He was enjoying himself so much.

“A lot of the time we knew he was ill, but you would never have realised. That's the amazing thing over the last few years. It's well documented that he'd been through some really, really dark times with the sad death of his wife Jenny but he remained irrepressibly optimistic and enthusiastic about everything he did. That's a real tribute to his love of life and his humanity.”

Both Scott and his brother Gavin played for Watsonians together and having two brothers who both went on to achieve so much in the game of rugby is something the club is extremely proud of.

“Gavin and Scott are inextricable,” continued McLellan. “Two absolutely wonderful players for Scotland and the Lions and their careers started when they were schoolboys here. They played so often together for Watsonians, Edinburgh and for Scotland and then the Lions.

“It's just a great story of brotherly association and competition and they were fantastic friends too. Their names are etched in rugby history and will be forever. Scott represented everything that's good about sport, there was no doubt about that at all. He was so well liked and so well loved and so well known.”

“His legacy is his kindness” - friend and former teammate Iain Sinclair on ‘inspiration’ Scott Hastings

McLellan credits Hastings with bringing him to the club when he first arrived in Edinburgh, remarking that when a British & Irish Lion gives you a call, you don’t say no. The two continued a long association through their time at Myreside, but the current president was just among many, many people who were fortunate to know him.

One former teammate and friend is Iain Sinclair, whose name may be familiar due to his charitable endeavours outside of rugby when, in 2025, he became the first person to swim the full length of the Caledonian Canal. Sinclair undertook the challenge in memory of Hastings’ late wife Jenny, as well as another friend Colin Maguire, and Scott was heavily involved in supporting him before greeting him at the finish line of the 60-mile swim.

“His legacy is his kindness,” said Sinclair. "His kindness was off the charts, giving hope to so many people who are down, and always demonstrating that resilience. That's the part which, for me, really stands out. Kindness, hope and resilience - that's what he personified.

“I joined Watsonians in 1995 where we got to put together a band of brothers. There was really only two former pupils on the team at that point, Gavin and Scott Hastings, and the rest of us were coming from all over.

“We became a tight bunch, playing some amazing rugby. My memory of Scott within that was that he was front and centre of everything we did. I have many memories from playing with Scott, but so did many other of our good friends.

"It was a really talented squad back then but Scott stood out not just because of his presence but also because he just made you feel part of the family. The Watsonians family was personified by Scott and everything he did.

"His family were always front and centre in everything he did - Jenny, Corey and Kerry-Anne. His values were present right from the start.

"Fast forward to two years ago when we lost Jenny, and obviously that had a profound impact on Scott. I'd already been considering in the back of my mind doing this crazy adventure, something that had never been done before, swimming the Caledonian Canal.

“I said to Scott that I wanted to raise money in Jenny's memory. He joined me on that journey and I often call him the ultimate team player because he's always putting everybody else first. That positive mindset was just incredible.

"The guy was such an inspiration to me. It's impossible to think of Scott and not have a smile on your face.”

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