Three years ago at this time of year Ed Kalman was preparing to make his Scotland debut against Wales in Cardiff.

This week he is preparing lesson plans for his classes at Strathallan School.

It is quite a change for the former prop who retired from the pro game with Glasgow Warriors last summer after suffering from back problems.

When he was younger Kalman's love of rugby grew from playing at Belmont House School in Glasgow and at local club Whitecraigs.

Whilst at Belmont House he also built up a love for physics and went on to study the subject at Durham University.

His rugby continued apace whilst in the north of England, representing the university side and being involved with the Newcastle Falcons academy.

Then he headed south to study for an MPhil in Technology Policy at Cambridge University and was lucky enough to play in a winning Varsity Match at Twickenham against old rivals Oxford in 2005.

Pro rugby then took over for Kalman, time spent at the Border Reivers before a long stint at the Warriors in which he played over 100 matches for the first team and became a fans' favourite.

"I look back on all of my rugby experiences with great fondness," Kalman said between lessons this week.

"I loved playing at school and at Whitecraigs while at Durham we had a pretty good team and the university championship was a good standard.

"The Varsity Match is still up there with my greatest rugby memories. The hype that is around that match for months before is like nothing I had seen before or since.

"With the Borders and Glasgow I had some really great times and made some lifelong friends and to play sport for a living is a dream for most people, so I just gave it 100 per cent while I could."

When he looks back on the two Scotland caps he earned in 2012, Kalman is also proud, but it says a lot for his competitive spirit that the results in the matches still irk him to this day.

He explained: "I came off the bench in Cardiff and it was a good feeling, but afterwards I was gutted by the [27-13] loss while against France in the next Six Nations match I came off the bench again. To do so at Murrayfield was special, but again to have lost left me pretty annoyed.

"Still, I can say I gave it my all during my career and played for my country which was a huge honour, so you have to be happy with that."

Having known for a while that he may be nearing retirement Kalman, with the help of former Scotland captain Jason White and Red Sky Management, worked hard on his career path after rugby.

He had always kept an interest in physics and Red Sky helped him identify that with the skills he had learnt from a professional team environment teaching was a good option.

"I talked a lot of things over with my wife and she said to me 'not many people get a chance to choose a new career at our age, it is exciting' and I worked hard with people around me to forge a new life in teaching," he stated.

"When the opportunity came up to teach physics at Strathallan and help out coaching the various rugby teams there I grabbed it with both hand and I am enjoying the challenge.

"Heading into the classroom on my first day was a bit like making your debut for a new club, but the teachers, pupils and parents have been brilliant with me and every day throws up something different."