Scotland: Huw Jones thought cap days ‘were’ over during slump

His is a notable rise and fall story. Jones landed in Scottish rugby in 2016 like an alien from outer-space. Here was a try-scoring centre in blue, a speedster in the midfield with a step and an eye for a score the like of which had not been seen from a Scottish centre in an age.

He ran in 10 tries in his first 14 Tests between November 2016 and February 2018. He scored four times in two games against England and three in two against Australia. He scored against New Zealand and France, too.

He was powerful, creative and, on his day, virtually unstoppable. That was the rise – and then came the fall.

In his next 14 Tests, he didn’t score once. Injuries and an inability to navigate his way through the first setbacks in his career led to him being dropped by Glasgow and then by Scotland.

The World Cup in 2019 came and went without him. The Lions tour to South Africa, which looked a certainty for him, passed him by.

“When I first came into the squad, my first few caps came quite quickly and it seemed fairly straightforward. Then you get a few setbacks, a couple of injuries, a couple of times when you don’t get selected and it really makes you appreciate it a lot more. I will never take for granted being picked in a squad.

“Fifty caps has been a goal of mine for a while, but a few years ago, it didn’t seem realistic. It was difficult, it was upsetting that my career hadn’t gone the way I wanted it to go and the way I thought it should have gone.

“The way you get back in is by playing well and that’s what happened. It came through a lot of hard work and it makes it all the more special. I’m really excited to get my 50th cap after a long journey, a lot of ups and downs.

“It’s a huge honour playing for your country once, but to be able to do it 50 times is a massive privilege. I’m super proud.”