Kelly Brown, the 30-year-old back-row forward, will captain Scotland for the first time in next weekend’s EMC Test against New Zealand. The announcement was made today by head coach Andy Robinson as the national squad’s three day St Andrews camp drew to a close.

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Robinson said: “Kelly Brown is an inspirational person. He has an aura, confidence and belief about him and a firm understanding of the game.  He has been a very consistent performer for Scotland.  It’s because of these qualities that he has been appointed Scotland captain.”

Robinson also praised Edinburgh Rugby hooker Ross Ford, Brown’s fellow Borderer, for his leadership of Scotland, including the most recent unbeaten three Test match tour to Australasia.

“I would like to congratulate Ross Ford in the way he has handled himself as captain of the side but also in respect of Kelly taking over,” he added.

Brown, an influential figure among the galaxy of stars at his club Saracens, told www.scottishrugby.org : “It’s obviously a huge honour and though I haven’t played for Scotland for a while I’m really looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

Brown, who made a try-scoring Scotland debut against Romania in Bucharest in 2005, is a product of the Melrose club and was a popular member of both the Border Reivers and Glasgow Warriors as he brought steel to their forward efforts.

Injury in a Heineken Cup game back in January deprived him of the chance to captain Scotland in the RBS 6 Nations Championship . . . and the significant benchmark of a 50th Scotland cap.

Now that milestone will be achieved against New Zealand at Murrayfield next Sunday (11 November).

“On the flight up, it was like Christmas! It’s been so long since I’ve actually played for Scotland (September 2011) so I’m really, really looking forward to that.

“And we’re playing against the best side in the world so it’s a massive, massive challenge but one, I’m sure, we’ll thrive on,” Brown said.

Here is the interview on being made Scotland captain with Kelly Brown:

KELLY BROWN (Saracens)
Back row. Born: 8.6.82 in Edinburgh. Height: 6ft 4in (1.94m). Weight: 16st 10lb (106kg).

Kelly David Robert Brown scored his fourth try for Scotland when he touched down in the second-half of the opening 2011 RBS 6 Nations Championship match against France in Paris and was arguably Scotland’s most consistent performer of the 2011 tournament. Injury curtailed his involvement in the 2011 Rugby World Cup and prevented his participation in any of this year’s international programme to date. He has not played for Scotland since the penultimate RWC pool game against Argentina in Wellington in September 2011.

He had a try-scoring debut for Scotland in the 39-19 win over Romania in Bucharest in June 2005. His second Scotland try followed in the 34-22 victory against the Pacific Islanders at Murrayfield in the Bank of Scotland Corporate international in November 2006. His first start in a Six Nations match (his ninth Test) followed against England at Twickenham on the opening day of the 2007 championship, and he marked his World Cup debut with a try as a replacement in the 56-10 win against Portugal later that year in St Etienne.

A fortnight before the Bucharest international in 2005 he made his senior Scotland debut in the non-cap international game against the Barbarians at Pittodrie, Aberdeen, his solid performance contributing to the 38-7 win, the first time Scotland had beaten the invitation club.

Kelly scored a try on his Scotland A debut in the 69-3 win against Georgia at Firhill, Glasgow, in November 2008, though by then he already had 26 full caps to his name. Seven months later he played in all three matches for the Scotland A team who won the IRB Nations Cup in Bucharest, and later that year he was in the Scotland A team who beat Tonga 38-7 at Netherdale, Galashiels.

A former pupil of Earlston High School, Kelly studied sports science at Edinburgh University before taking up rugby as a career. He has represented Scotland at four age levels (under-21, under-19, under-18, and under-16) as well as in the sevens squad. His under-19 honours included playing all four games in the 2001 world championship in Santiago, Chile. He went on to play 15 times for Scotland under-21, finishing with a victory against England at Newbury in the age group’s 2003 world championship. Kelly, who joined Glasgow Warriors from Border Reivers in summer 2007, has represented The Borders at under-15, under-16, under-18, under-19, and under-20.

He has also had considerable experience in the Scotland seven-a-side squad, playing in the IRB Rugby World Cup tournament in Hong Kong in 2005. There he scored two tries in helping Scotland to a top-eight finish in the tournament. His elder brother, Rowan, represented Scottish Schools.  Kelly left Glasgow Warriors in the summer of 2010 and joined English club Saracens.

Scotland record: 49 caps. 2005 – R Sam(r) NZ(r). 2006 – SA1(r) SA2(r) R PI A. 2007 – E W It I1 I2(r) SA RWC[Por(r) R(r) NZ It(r) Arg(r)]. 2008 – F(r) W I E(r) It(r) Arg1(r) Arg2(r). 2009 – W(r) F(r) It(r) E(r).  2010 – F W It E I Arg 1 Arg 2 NZ SA Sam. 2011 – F W I E It It2.  RWC – [R G Arg] Points: 20 – 4 tries.