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Scott Hastings, the Scotland rugby large who played alongside his older member Gavin for the nationalist squad and the British and Irish Lions, has died. He was 61.
The Scottish Rugby Union announced his decease connected Sunday (May 17, 2026). In 2022, Hastings said helium had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and the SRU referenced a household connection that said helium “deteriorated highly quickly” owed to complications with his treatment.
“He passed distant peacefully and symptom free,” the household connection read.
The most-capped centre successful the past of Scotland's men's squad aft making 65 appearances from 1986-97, Hastings was a subordinate of the Grand Slam-winning squad successful the 1990 Five Nations and scored 10 tries for his country.
He and Gavin, who was 3 years his elder, made their archetypal Scotland starts unneurotic successful the 1986 Five Nations successful a triumph against France. The teams shared that title.
Both were picked for the 1989 Lions circuit of Australia. The Wallabies won the archetypal trial comfortably and, acknowledgment to a midweek comeback triumph implicit ACT, Scott was brought into the centers on with Jeremy Guscott among 5 changes for the 2nd test. Scott and Gavin were the archetypal Lions trial brothers since 1910.
In what became known arsenic the Battle of Ballymore, the Lions stood up to Australia but trailed 12-9 with 5 minutes to go.
“We got a interruption retired ... and I realized determination was a immense spread connected the outside,” Scott told the Lions website. "Being a left-handed subordinate I thought I could occurrence this walk retired but it was much similar a large loop that bounced and my member Gavin went implicit and scored.
“As helium ran backmost helium said, That was fantastic, what's the score?' and helium hadn't realized he'd enactment the Lions into the lead.”
The Lions prevailed to acceptable up a bid decider successful Sydney, wherever they won again 19-18 and became the archetypal Lions to triumph a bid from 1-0 down.
"I pulled disconnected a tackle successful midfield against David Campese that I truly enjoyed but erstwhile that last whistle went, [it was] that sheer joyousness of winning a trial series,” Scott said.
He besides went to New Zealand successful 1993 but his Lions circuit was chopped abbreviated earlier the tests erstwhile helium broke his cheekbone connected Josh Kronfeld's knee.
“I couldn't adjacent adjacent my rima truthful I knew my circuit was implicit and I was gutted, it was devastating,” Scott said.
Former Scotland and Lions manager Ian McGeechan told the Scottish Rugby website: "I retrieve Scott connected the Lions tours taking an implicit lead. He was truthful single-minded and determined astir winning.
"He was precise overmuch your close manus man, fixed what helium did connected the field. I inactive retrieve the Grand Slam crippled against England successful 1990. There was his Lions teammate from the erstwhile year, Jerry Guscott, successful the England team, but Scott gave thing distant to him whatsoever.
“Whatever jersey Scott wore, helium conscionable made it better.” He played his past trial for Scotland successful 1997 with existent nationalist manager Gregor Townsend.
“Like galore different schoolboys passim Scotland astatine the time, I wanted to emulate Scott's attack to the crippled and however helium took the crippled to the opposition,” Townsend told Scottish Rugby.
"A fewer years aboriginal I was fortunate to play alongside him connected a fig of occasions for Scotland, arsenic helium became our most-capped player.”
"His power connected his teammates was inactive precise beardown towards the extremity of his vocation arsenic helium helped america travel precise adjacent to winning different Grand Slam crippled against England astatine Murrayfield successful 1996.”
“Scott ever brought positivity and vigor into everything helium did from his playing vocation past into the past mates of decades arsenic a wide traveled and respected commentator.”
