Ross Ford is one of the brightest young talents in Scottish rugby. The Edinburgh hooker has emerged onto the international scene following rapid improvement at regional level. As a youth player Ford captained Scotland U16s before representing the U18, U19 and U21s as well as featuring in the Scotland Sevens team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

Ford played at flanker during his age grade years, converting to hooker once he had begun playing for the Border Reivers. He represented Scotland in his new position at the 2004 U21 World Championship, and won his first full international cap in the 2004 autumn international loss to Australia, coming on as a replacement for the experienced Gordon Bulloch.

He had to wait over a year for his second opportunity at international level, when he was given his first taste of the Six Nations as a replacement against Wales in 2006. He featured again the following week against England, but missed Scotland's summer tour to South Africa with injury

Ford was being rewarded for strong season with Border Reivers, where he was developing outstanding throwing skills to complement his fearsome 6'1'', 17 stone frame. He was named Reivers Player of the Season in the summer of 2006, but found himself on the move to Glasgow Warriors as the Reivers were forced to close by the Scottish Rugby Union.

Ford secured his first international start against France in the final game of the 2007 Six Nations. He retained the No. 2 jersey for the World Cup warm-up games against Ireland and South Africa at Murrayfield, and earned a place in the Scotland squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where he notched his first Test try as a replacement against Portugal in the first pool match.

Ford was able to secure starts in the crucial pool match against Italy and the subsequent quarter-final against Argentina, confirming his place in the plans of Scotland coach Frank Hadden. After the Rugby World Cup Ford made the switch from Glasgow to Edinburgh Gunners, after the club fell back under the control of the SRU.

He toured Argentina with Scotland in 2008 and would go on to play in all three autumn internationals the same year. He was also an ever-present in the 2009 Six Nations and was called up to the British & Irish Lions squad for their tour of South Africa following an injury to Ireland's Jerry Flannery.

He did not play in the first two Tests but came on as a replacement for Matt Rees in the dead rubber match in Johannesburg.

Scrum staff July 2009