Jim Hamilton made his international debut for Scotland against Romania in November 2006, while playing his club rugby for Guinness Premiership side Leicester Tigers.

Hamilton played U21 rugby for England before deciding to pursue a career with Scotland. He was retained by Scotland for the 2007 Six Nations before travelling to France as a member of Scotland's squad for the 2007 World Cup.

He made appearances against Romania, New Zealand, Italy and Australia during the tournament as Scotland were knocked out at the quarter-finals. In 2008 Hamilton signed a contract with Edinburgh, and forged a path as one of the key members of a rapidly improving Scotland pack.

Alongside Nathan Hines, Hamilton was instrumental in powering Scotland's improved performances against South Africa and Canada during the 2008 autumn internationals.

He remained a fixture in the Scotland set-up and scored his first try for the national side against Argentina on the summer tour of 2010. Hamilton moved to Gloucester for the 2010/11 season.

Hamilton shone for Gloucester in his first season at the club playing 20 matches but picking up two yellow cards on the way. He missed out on Six Nations selection but was thrown back into the mix for the 2011 World Cup where he played twice for the national side.

Come the 2011-12 season, Hamilton had established himself as Gloucester's first-choice second-row and played in all five of Scotland's Six Nations matches. He looked set to be included in the squad for the summer tour but was hit with a seven-week ban for punching David Paice in the final match of the 2011-12 season.

He returned to the international scene in the autumn of 2012 and made a big impact during the 2013 Six Nations, raising the possibility of representing the Lions in Australia.