As the weather gets colder, Ayr forward George Hunter has been looking back fondly on his international debut which came in much warmer temperatures earlier this year.

Hunter, 24, has previously represented Scotland at age-grade level and as recently as last season played for the Club XV.

However, back in May he flew to the Bahamas for their Rugby Americas North Championship match with Mexico.

He qualifies for the country because his grandfather grew up there and Hunter, who was previously on the books at Glasgow Warriors and has also had a spell at London Scottish, jumped at the chance.

In the weeks leading up to the trip Hunter watched a lot of the Bahamas previous games on the internet and fed back a number of things for the pack to work on in training.

“I always knew that my grandfather was from the Bahamas and I began to look into the possibility of playing rugby for them,” Hunter, who grew up in Aberdeen, said.

“It became apparent that I was eligible to play for them and then I got in touch with their coach and we started chatting regularly.

“I flew out in May and pretty much headed straight to a training session with the guys and they made me feel welcome right away.

“The great thing about rugby anywhere in the world is that if you work hard and have a bit of banter then a group can come together quickly and by the time the match came round I felt like I had integrated pretty well.”

The match was being played in the capital city of Nassau and there was quite a big crowd by the time kick-off arrived.

Having come off the back of a full BT Premiership campaign Hunter felt fine with the pace of the game early on, but he admits the heat started to take its toll after the interval.

“The heat was like nothing I had really experienced on a rugby field before and when Mexico started stretching us a bit more after half-time it became quite tough,” he stated.

“I was playing No.8 and loved the experience and although we lost 39-3 the guys gave it everything and there was a very sociable atmosphere after the match.

“I could not stay out for the other matches [they lost to the Cayman Islands and Bermuda], but I am hopeful of getting out and playing more matches with the guys when university and other commitments allow.

“Having this full cap under my belt will mean that I can no longer represent Scotland so it was a tough decision and not one I took lightly, but I am excited by this new chapter with the Bahamas and I want to do my grandfather and the rest of my family proud.

“They have backed me all the way and told me to go for it.

“In the lead up to my trip out there I was getting quite a bit of stick from my flatmate because they could often hear me practising the national anthem of the Bahamas in my room.

“I wanted to be able to sing the anthem before the match with the guys and to do that was a really special feeling and I think I got all the words right!”

This season Hunter started in the front-row for Ayr, but has more recently been playing in the back-row.

“We have had a few back-row injuries this month, but I like playing both positions and as long as I am helping the team I am happy. It has been an exciting league to play in so far,” he concluded.