Being Prime Minister is not all about dealing with the big issues of state, as Gordon Brown showed yesterday when he took a brief break from the domestic and international problems he is dealing with to praise the return of rugby union to his old high school.

As a result of the sport's revival, Kirkcaldy High School will be among the 35 academic institutions taking part in the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup competitions for the first time, 16 of them coming from the state sector. This season's tournament has attracted another record entry of 244 at under-15 and under-18 levels.

It is fair to say that the Prime Minister probably has rather mixed feelings about his rugby days at Kirkcaldy, winning a place in the first XV as an aggressive flanker when he was only 15 but then losing the sight in his left eye and almost losing vision in the other after being kicked in the head during an end-of-term match against the teachers.

Not that there was any sign of ambivalence yesterday in his comments about his playing days: “What I remember most about my school days at Kirkcaldy is the sport - running, rugby, football, tennis,” the Prime Minister said via the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU).

“I had the good fortune of playing rugby for what became a great rugby team when I was just 15. I will never forget the first try I scored for the school first XV. I can still remember kicking that ball ahead in terrible weather and scoring the try that won the match. You never forget those moments.

“The lessons I learned then about training hard and being part of a team have been good for me through the rest of my life. I am delighted that more young people will have the chance to participate in this great sport.”

Since the Prime Minister's playing days, rugby has been among the sports that have struggled in the Scottish state system, though the SRU feels it is starting to get a handle on the issue and last year's winners of the main competition were from Kirkcaldy's near neighbours in Cupar, Fife, with Bell Baxter High School defeating Dollar Academy at Murrayfield.

Kirkcaldy is just one of a number of schools to relaunch its rugby team as the number of young rugby players continues to rise solidly - the union is expecting to repeat last year's success when adult playing numbers rose by 7 per cent and junior numbers by 19 per cent.

Mark Wilkinson, from Bell Lawrie, the sponsor, noted that in eight years since his firm had first got involved, participation had risen from 56 schools to its present level. The finals of both the under-18 and under-15 competitions are scheduled for Murrayfield on March 18 next year.