The cliched view of Johnnie Beattie would be that the free-spirited No 8 found his rightful home among the flair of French rugby.
However, it seems that it’s curbing the off-the-cuff stuff and playing with structure that is behind the swift resurgence of Beattie and his recall to Saturday’s Calcutta Cup match against England at Twickenham.
Beattie left Glasgow for Montpellier under a cloud in the summer having fallen deep into the doghouse with both the Warriors and Andy Robinson’s Scotland set-up.
The ball-playing 8 had hardly been fairly treated rushed back too quickly from a serious shoulder operation two years ago, he never quite got back on track in time for the world cup or last year’s Six Nations.
“At the end of last season I hadn’t played any rugby, really, for near enough six months,” he said. “I was going out of contract and wondering who was going to pick me up when and it’s obvious that some people lost faith in me.
“With that in mind I’ve got a huge amount of gratitude for everyone at Montpellier, because it has given me a new lease of life. But I’m still the same bloke I was six months or a year ago.
“It’s just a different style of play, a different club and a chance to play week in, week out.”
Beattie’s penchant for being out in the backs and handling the ball is strictly second under Fabien Galthie at Montpellier to the rigid structure.
“It’s very structured, very coached, so there is no room for error, and everyone sings from the same hymn sheet,” he said. “At Glasgow, I was symptomatic of the collective, we could be great one week, horrendous the next.
“With Montpellier, we have to win every week, and even the backhand off-loads that look like pure flair are part of the structure.
“It’s been a complete eye opener because previously I thought it was all natural ability with the French, but there is absolutely not any difference in the ability of players there to here.”
Beattie had registered on Andy Robinson’s radar again in the autumn, but was told by the former coach that it was “too soon” for a recall, although he was approaching the form that made him one of the most admired No 8s in Europe during the 2009 season.
“I’d only played two matches to that point and was pleased with how it was going, but the change in coach has maybe helped that because Scott (Johnson) has his own views on players,” he said.
“I understand he first saw me playing for Scotland under-19s at Aberavon many years ago and was pretty complimentary about me. As I recall we got absolutely cuffed that day, the fact that he spotted something is nice to hear.”
Beattie’s father John was in the 1983 team that won at Twickenham and, because of his son’s involvement and the team’s 30-year reunion this weekend, Beattie Sr has opted not to fill his usual berth in BBC Radio Scotland’s team.
“When you talk to him and his pals who played in that game, they are embarrassed that the record still stands,” said Johnnie.
“He said that, if I was to be involved, he wanted to take a step back but I was quite disappointed because, for me, it’s been the status quo and I’ve quite enjoyed having him there.
“But it means he’ll be able to enjoy the game more, and I’m sure the guys are going to have a few beers for their reunion.”
There are some similarities between 30 years ago and this weekend, he believes, but England still have the advantage.
“There is a reason why we haven’t won there for so long,” he added. “It’s not necessarily the strength of the team, but the strength of the nations behind the teams.
“If you speak to the players from 1983, they felt they had absolutely no chance, and I think most people would give us a slim to no chance this week. We have to spot on with everything we do, that’s a very tough thing to do in professional rugby, but it has to be the aim.”