Chris Cusiter was Scotland’s undisputed leader only 18 months ago, but the scrum-half was facing the Rugby World Cup axe until just last week.
The Aberdonian’s year-long battle with injury seems to have been solved at the eleventh hour, as he will return for Scotland off the bench against Italy in Saturday’s EMC Test at Murrayfield, but he admitted relief at his recovery and confidence he can make up lost time.
When fit, Cusiter has been Andy Robinson’s first choice scrum-half and captain but there’s been precious little of that due to knee and calf problems, and he only started full training again at the team camp in St Andrews last week.
“The injury I picked up dragged on and on and it was getting close to crunch time,” he said.
“But the middle of last week I started taking part in full training and it’s felt great, so I’m really happy because at one stage it wasn’t looking great.
“I kept trying to take part a little too early, so I stepped back a bit with (team doctor) James Robson and we put a plan together with a proper time-scale, and it definitely worked.
“I’m grateful for that, and for the extra time to get ready.”
After such a long battle, missing all but a handful of games last season, Cusiter admitted he’d begun to fear the worst.
He continued: “The knee dragged on way longer than I ever thought when I first did it, in April 2010.Dark times”If you’d said then I wouldn’t be playing for another year I never would have believed that and I had a lot of dark times during that period.
“Even when I came back and was in the squad, every day when everyone else was training you do feel you’re getting left behind.
“I wasn’t fit to play in the first game and so there wasn’t much time left, and it did cross my mind about missing out, but now I feel 100%.
“I could have started this game but Mike (Blair) got back training quicker than I did.
“I don’t feel behind in terms of the skills work and while I’d have liked to have had a bit more running, if I do get selected for the 30 there is still time to make that up before the tournament.”
Just playing for Scotland again is a significant achievement, he feels.
He added: “I’m really grateful for this opportunity because had I not been fit for this game I’d have been really struggling to make the 30, so hopefully now I’ll get an opportunity to show that I’m fit and worthy of going on the plane.
“The captaincy is not something I’m thinking about at the moment I just want to make the 30 and after that I want to be the scrum-half for the World Cup, having been on the bench in 2007.”
Blair meanwhile starts against the Italians, having been thrown himself by a knee ligament tear but having done three more weeks than his perennial rival for the No 9 jersey.
The Edinburgh man said: “I’m lucky enough to get this opportunity here but we have four very different scrum-halves who offer different things.
“Andy is working out how he wants his team to play, so the scrum-half best suited to whatever style will play the game.