Having shared the best part of 100 caps unevenly between them in the intervening time, for two vastly different rugby union nations, two Scottish back-rowers will meet on the field for the first time in 18 years on Friday.
They meet in an "All-Star" charity game in the Middle East. How times change for Jason White and Alistair Thompson.
As teenagers, they featured in the same back row in a Scottish representative side called the Caledonia Reds in 1996.
White went on to play 77 times for Scotland, where he fostered a reputation as one of the hardest tacklers in the international game.
Thompson belatedly sampled international rugby as captain of the UAE, having pursued a career in teaching instead.
Now he just hopes to avoid too many collisions when he is reunited with his former teammate on Friday.
“Jason went to the heights of international rugby and I stayed at a certain level,” said Thompson, who will play for an Abu Dhabi select side.
“He is a tremendous guy and I just hope I don’t get in his way when the game starts because I certainly don’t want to be tackled by Jason White. I know how that feels.”
White is making a guest appearance for the Dubai selection playing against a side assembled from Saracens and Harlequins in the capital.
The Bill McLaren Foundation All Star match kicks off at 5pm at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, with the return fixture at Dubai Sports City next week.
“It is a great opportunity to bring the players together from different clubs and create a higher level of rugby and increase the level of competition,” Thompson said.
“I’m sure the same could be said of the Dubai side. It will be a tough game, my lungs will be working hard, but hopefully it will be worth it in the end.”
While Thompson will have the benefit of local knowledge when he faces White, the celebrated former Scotland captain still has some UAE experience to draw on.
He was part of the Xodus Steelers side that won the International Veterans title at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in November.
“It’s the first time I’ve played in a match since November, so I’m really looking forward to pulling the boots on and taking to the field,” White said. “It’s for a great cause and will hopefully encourage more young people to get involved with the sport.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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