Robert Ian Wainwright was born in Perth on 22 March 1965 and educated at Glenalmond College and Cambridge University where he gained three Blues between 1986 and 1988. He qualified as a doctor and served in the Army before becoming a farmer on the Isle of Coll. He played in the back row for Dundee HSFP., Edinburgh Academicals, London Scottish and West Hartlepool. Between 1992 and 1998 he won 37 caps for Scotland and was captain in 13 internationals. On the 1997 British Isles tour to South Africa he scored three tries in the match against S.E.Transvaal and made eight appearances, including one test. He captained the Barbarians against Bath and French Barbarians in 1994 and East Midlands in 1999. Rob Wainwright served on the Barbarian committee from 1996 to 1999.