Robert Kelly was just 20 years old when he set off for Argentina in 1927 as part of a squad led by fellow Scot David MacMyn, but went onto star in his month in South America.

• In 2017 The Lions Trust began the process of tracking down each and every Lion and presenting them with their Lions number and cap. If you know of a living Lion that has not been capped please email [email protected] to get in touch.

Featuring in three of the Test matches, Kelly scored a remarkable five tries, with only the legendary Tony O’Reilly having scored more tries in Tests for the Lions.

Now, nearly 100 years on from his Lions experience, Kelly’s grandson Richard has received his Lions cap, a fitting recognition of his contributions.

And if Robert Kelly was the starting point, four generations of the family have now featured for Watsonians’ first XV, with rugby very much at the heart of the Kelly clan.

Richard, who is the president of Watsonians, explained: “We are celebrating our 150th anniversary and had a celebratory dinner in Edinburgh and we had a bit of a Lions theme to it. We had Sir Ian McGeechan and Jim Telfer speaking at it.

“We also did a bit of research to find out that on the Club of Origin plaque we got from Howden recently, we have eight British & Irish Lions that Watsonians have produced, of which five are still alive.

“We were able to get four of the five into the room for the celebrations. The fifth one is Chris Cusiter, who went to New Zealand in 2005, he currently lives in California and wasn’t able to make it.

"We had Gavin Hastings, Scott Hastings, Jason White and Rob Wainwright, I presented them with honorary memberships of the club and we got them up and had a bit of a Q&A. The whole heritage and history thing is really important to me. I’m hugely proud of everything we have achieved there.

“My grandfather played for Watsonians and my father as well. He played for Edinburgh and Watsonians and captained the club and was president of the club. I played for Watsonians as well but had a relatively short career because I had a bad hip injury. And I am also now president of the club.

“Both my sons have played for the club and my younger son is currently playing for the club, he’s just turned 18. We have four generations who have played for Watsonians first XV. I’ve got team photos in my office, and my youngest son will hopefully be in the photo this year.”

It was one of the Watsonians Lions who alerted Richard Kelly to the capping project, with Scott Hastings having explained the process.

As a keen rugby historian, that was music to Kelly’s ears, and he set about preparing the application immediately.

He said: “I know a few guys who are British & Irish Lions and remember them getting their caps a few years ago. I spoke to Scott Hastings, who mentioned to me a number of months ago, when he became aware that my grandfather was a British & Irish Lion, that I should apply to get his Lions cap. I wasn’t aware that we could do that, so it was nice to get that information from Scott.

“My grandfather is no longer with us, my father is also unfortunately no longer with us. I’ve got two brothers, but I’ve also got cousins on the other side as well. I asked the entire family, because I’m rugby mad, how they would feel about me sourcing that cap, and they all said to go for it.

“The Lions were very quick at coming back with the information they were looking for from me. Understandably, I had to get authentication to make the application, so I had to show things like my family tree and where my place was in the family, and it had to be counter-signed by a lawyer. I took quite a lot of comfort from that because it meant that the caps that are going out to the relatives are going to the right people.

“Once it was done, it got delivered and arrived in a beautiful package. It also had a nice photograph of him on that 1927 Lions Tour and also a nice letter from the Lions that was embossed with his name and Lion #247. Those are things that I’m getting framed along with the cap. I love sporting heritage and history and I think this is something that will stay in my family forever, I’m hugely proud of it.”

Nearly a century after he made his name with the Lions, Robert Kelly’s impact will not be forgotten.