Dougie Hall is a prime example of a modern hooker: a powerful scrummager, an effective presence in the loose and reliable with his darts. A brilliantly consistent member of the Warriors pack, Hall is also a regular with Scotland, and was included in the squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

He progressed from an apprentice contract with Glasgow Caledonians to a full-time pro-contract initially with Glasgow Rugby and then Edinburgh Rugby in 2002. He returned to Glasgow Warriors in summer 2007, but a knee injury in practice with the Scotland squad ruled him out of the World Cup tournament in France.

He was fit to resume for Warriors in late November, and three months later he was in the Scotland team who won the A international against Italy by 37-15 in Mogliano, near Venice.

Dougie started in both of Scotland’s Murrayfield victories in the 2006 RBS 6 Nations Championship – against France and England. Three years earlier he won his first cap as a second-half substitute against Wales in the RWC Countdown Test in Cardiff. He scored his first try for Scotland in the non-cap 38-7 win against the Barbarians in May 2005, and his first full-international try was in the 48-6 victory against Romania at Murrayfield in the opening match of the Bank of Scotland Corporate series in November 2006.

He made his first appearance for Scotland A in their November 2002 win against Romania in Aberdeen and was called from the bench during the subsequent A contests against England and Italy. He has also represented Scotland at under-19 and under-21 levels and

He scored his first Scotland A try in the 67-7 win against Ireland A at McDiarmid Park, Perth. But it was after an absence of more than a year from the full national squad before he returned in a replacement appearance in Scotland’s 26-14 win against Argentina in Buenos Aires in June 2008. Dougie, a former pupil of Glenalmond College, also played in Scotland under-19 in the 1999 FIRA Junior World Championship win against England at Pontypridd, Wales, and later that year featured in the Scottish Districts’ under-21 team’s 14-9 win against New Zealand Youth at Jedburgh. He made 12 appearances for Scotland under-21, including the SANZAR tournament in New Zealand in June 2000.

He spent much of 2001-2002 recovering from a broken leg but made five appearances for Glasgow late that season and was on stand-by for Scotland’s 2002 tour of North America. His representative rugby in his youth also included Midland Schools and Scottish Schools (both at under-16 and under-18) and the Caledonian Reds’ under-19 team.

Honours: Scotland, Scotland A, Scotland U21, Scotland U19, Scottish Schools U18, Scottish Schools U16