IN the best traditions of such ceremonies, Adam Roxburgh could not be there to receive The Herald Player of the Year when he was announced as the winner at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on Saturday.
Typical of the thoroughbred Borderer he is, Roxburgh preferred to keep a prior engagement at the Kelso club rather than join in the glamour of what has become firmly established as Scottish rugby's greatest annual gathering, The Herald Scottish Rugby Awards.
Clearly, though, there was more to it than that.
As the captain of Kelso, he seems desperate to play in his club's vital play-off match with Heriot's FP on Saturday, but appears to be facing pressure from his SRU employers not to, since he is scheduled, two days later, to join Scotland's Australia and Fiji-bound tour party.
So many of Scotland's front-line troops have already withdrawn that national coach Jim Telfer is eager to avoid any risk of injury to Roxburgh, the only tourist on either side in the play-off, particularly considering the impact the flanker has made, which was celebrated at the EICC in his absence.
The impression that Roxburgh was seeking to maintain the lowest possible profile, and avoid questioning on the subject of the likelihood of his participation against Heriot's, was underlined at Murrayfield after Kelso's 36-14 defeat by Glasgow Hawks in the Tennents Velvet Scottish Cup final.
He declined to come to the post-match press conference and, while attempting to make suitably diplomatic noises, Kelso coach Bruce Rutherford made it clear that his captain now faces a period of agonising over whether, as a contracted SRU super team player, he has already played his last game for his beloved club.
''I don't know all the background details, I'll have to discuss the situation with Adam,'' he said. ''He's pretty quiet just now, but we'd like to see him go out on a more positive note.''
That his presence, or otherwise, is already seen as potentially being the decisive factor in the play-off, is testimony to Roxburgh's performances this season with club, district, and country.
Borders Reivers' outstanding individual throughout disappointing European Cup and District Championship campaigns, he improved steadily on a quiet start to his Test career to be Scotland's best player in the Calcutta Cup match at Murrayfield.
Though Roxburgh would have loved his final act as Kelso captain to be lifting the Scottish Cup, that never seemed a realistic proposition against Glasgow Hawks, the clear winners of the Tennents Velvet Team of the Year Award.
Roxburgh's contribution to the Scottish cause against the English in March was also recognised in The Highland Spring Try of the Year Award.
Tony Stanger actually received the trophy, the score in question proving a historic one since it saw him equal the Scottish international try-scoring record just as it reached retirement age, having been set 65 years ago by his legendary predecessor on Scotland's right wing, ''The Flying Scot'' Ian Smith. Stanger, though, would readily acknowledge his fellow Borderer's contribution to the try, since it was Roxburgh's powerful running which created not only that score, but also Shaun Longstaff's two minutes later.
Watsonians' championship winning season was marked in the presence of no fewer than three of their players among the quintet short-listed for The Royal Bank of Scotland Most Promising Young Player of The Year Award.
Their hugely promising lock forward Jason White was the man to take the honour.
There was also acknowledgement for the efforts of those in the lower division.
A stalwart of Stirling County during their rise through the leagues before he captained them to the first division title in 1995, Stewart Hamilton had missed out on promotion from only one division, not joining the Bridgehaugh club until after they had won the division seven title.
As player/coach with Hamilton Accies, Hamilton, now 41, completed the set, doing more than most to guide them through an unbeaten campaign as they claimed the division seven title, which helped prompt his selection for The Famous Grouse Award for the outstanding contribution to Scottish rugby.
Inaugurated this year, The Arthur Smith Memorial Award, sponsored by the SRU, was selected from among clubs who have taken part in the SRU's Accredited Club Status Scheme.
The first winners were ambitious north-east club Ellon.
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