A RUGBY star whose Inverclyde roots have helped him reach the very top of the game will captain Scotland for the first time this weekend.
Sione Tuipulotu, whose grandmother came from Greenock, will lead out Gregor Townsend's men for the first time when they take on Fiji at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Tuipulotu, who plays for the Glasgow Warriors, was confirmed as the man to don the armband ahead of Rory Darge and Finn Russell, who shared the national team's captaincy at the Six Nations earlier this year.
He made his debut for the national side against Tonga three years ago.
And his latest call-up, where he'll captain his country for the first time, was made extra special when his younger brother Mosese, who plays for Edinburgh, was one of five uncapped players to receive a call up to the side.
In an interview with Scottish Rugby, he confirmed he feels ‘ready for the job’ having gathered ‘valuable experience with Glasgow and Scotland’.
Sione said: “I’m so proud, and I know how much this will mean to my family back home, especially my gran.
“I haven’t told her yet, but I’m looking forward to telling her when the news comes out."
Sione said he felt ‘blessed’ to be serving as captain as Mosese joins the squad, describing the situation as a ‘fairytale’.
He added: "The most emotional phone call I’ve ever had was Gregor phoning me to tell me I’ll be Scotland captain, but when he phoned to say my brother would be included was a pretty close second.
“We’re going to be sharing a training environment, and I really want to challenge him to be better along these four weeks."
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