Only a few years ago Ben Toolis was playing volleyball for Australia, but the 25-year-old from Brisbane has made his commitment to his motherland clear this week by agreeing a contract extension that will keep him in Edinburgh.

With the club also announcing yesterday that 23-year-old former Auckland Blues play-maker Simon Hickey on a similar two year deal, his decision appears to be a clear vote of confidence in the work being done under new head coach Richard Cockerill.

Nor, with the team he grew up supporting in town, can there be any concern about the commitment he will show against the Wallabies on Saturday because he has already shown his Carluke-born mum Linda how much it means to him to represent her native land when, just down the Eastern seaboard from where he grew up in Brisbane, he helped Scotland beat Australia in Sydney this summer.

She and his dad, who used to take him to watch the Wallabies when he was a child, but also to support Scotland during the pool stages of the 2003 World Cup, will again be in the crowd on Saturday and he takes particular pleasure from what this means to her.

“You know how mums can be all emotional,” he said. “The fact it is the Scotland side as well, her heritage, she is extremely proud and you can tell she loves seeing me out there and it feels nice.”

Perhaps it is reflective of a less sentimental culture, but there was something reminiscent of fellow Australian-born lock Nathan Hines’ attitude in the way Toolis described reaction among his friends to his switch of allegiance. Hines also represented the British & Irish Lions and tended to dismiss questions about any split loyalties by saying his were to whoever his comrades were on the field of play.

For all that Toolis grew up seeking to model himself on John Eales, a product of the same high school and perhaps the Wallabies’ greatest ever player who played in both their World Cup winning teams and captained them to the second of them in 1999, it seems that Hines’ successor in the Scottish second-row has encountered something similar.

“I had a lot of friends who came down to that game (in Sydney) and they had their Wallaby shirts on and Scottish scarves,” he recounted.

“There was a bit of confusion at the end when we won and I was going over to them and they were celebrating and happy. My brother was there with his Scotland scarf on and he didn’t have his Aussie kit on. He is fully supporting Scotland. He is my brother but you can’t help but support your brother can you?

“A lot of my mates growing up are big rugby fans (but) deep down they were hoping I would get the win. They want to see me do well. A few boys were probably a bit bitter about it but I was surprised by how many were impressed and wanted Scotland to win. It was a bit strange feeling in that I was celebrating a win for Scotland in Australia (but) I would not change it for the world. I had all my family there, my mum, all the Scottish side there as well. There was not a better moment than celebrating that.”

Nor does he veer away from the inevitable questions about whether he draws extra motivation from seeking to prove himself against the Wallabies.

“I guess you want to use that as fuel and energy to play well,” he admitted. “At the end of the day I am still playing for Scotland, my country. You want to put in the best performance you can in the jersey.”

He knows that he will be up against others who number among his old friends on Saturday, but again there is only a sense of camaraderie, rather than any extra edge as he anticipates going up against them.

“I played with (Wallabies backs) Samu Kerevi and Junior Rasolea a lot at and (flanker) Sean McMahon, he was at (Brisbane club) GPS as well. I was in the Australian academy with him 18,19. We are good mates. We’ll try and catch up sometime this week,” he said.

“I always knew Samu would make it. He actually started out in the second row at age 13 but moved to the centre because he didn’t get much taller but got much bigger.

“He has a lot of speed behind him and his skills set is World class. He was injured last season for the game in Sydney but he is working his way back to full form. He is a great player and is one to look for.”

Toolis consequently knows they are likely to be even more difficult opponents than in the summer, but has confidence in his new compatriots.

“I watch a lot of their games and through the Rugby Championship they seemed to be a lot more organised in defence and their structure was a lot better and they beat New Zealand,” he noted.

“So, it will be difficult to break them down, but we are happy with our fitness and our attack, but they are getting back to where they were.”