Published: Tuesday, 12th January, 2010 10:03am

Gala rugby star is new porridge hunk

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SCOTTISH Rugby is joining forces with an iconic Scottish brand and putting a whole new emphasis on "oat" cuisine.

Scott's Porage, Scotland's number one porridge, has announced it will be replacing its traditional stone putter on some two million packs. Instead, the image will feature some of Scotland's top rugby talent - Edinburgh duo Chris Paterson, from Galashiels, and Ross Ford, from Kelso, and Thom Evans, of Glasgow.

The new limited edition packs have been designed to celebrate a partnership between Scott's Porage and Scottish Rugby. The partnership will see Scott's championing the Scotland rugby team on the pitch and providing porridge to fuel the team.

The new packs - launched at Tesco's store in Silverburn, Glasgow to coincide with the launch next month of the 2010 RBS 6 Nations Championship - will feature Scotland's cap and points record holder Paterson; dynamic hooker Ford; and flying winger Evans demonstrating a drop-kick in their new Six Nations kit.

The packs are a milestone in Scott's brand history - the first major packaging change since the original Scott's stone putter was turned from monochrome to colour in 1955.

Chris Paterson, who posed topless for Edinburgh's 2010 calendar, said: "I grew up eating Scott's Porage and now eat it before training and a big match. It's truly an honour to be on the new packs."

Thom Evans revealed that he's a big fan of Scott's Porage too. He takes his with honey as he has a sweet tooth.

Scottish Rugby's Chief Executive Gordon McKie said: "Our national team are entering an exciting new chapter and it's great to have the support of one of Scotland's most famous brands. To perform at the highest level in sport means players have to eat wisely and well and if this partnership encourages young Scots to give themselves a healthy start to the day then that has to be good news."

Sean Summers, marketing director Quaker, said: "This is an exciting partnership for Scott's. We have always championed Scottish sport and today we are celebrating the heroes of Scottish rugby. Not only are we putting the players on the pack, we are also providing porridge to fuel them to win in the 6 Nations Championship."