Good centres usually time their runs well, and Mark Bennett chose his moment perfectly at Scotstoun on Sunday when he rose from the Glasgow Warriors bench to play the final 27 minutes of the side's 21-10 Champions Cup victory over Montpelier.

Bennett did not make his customary impact on the scoreboard, but he did enough, both in defence and attack, during that time on the pitch to show that two months on the sidelines has done nothing to diminish the powers that made him the most talked-about player in Scotland during the early weeks of this season.

That autumn form earned the 21-year-old a Test debut against Argentina in the first November international, and he was retained for the clash with New Zealand the following weekend. However, Bennett lasted just 12 minutes of the All Blacks game before he was helped from the Murrayfield pitch after suffering a serious hamstring injury.

The initial prognosis suggested a three-month absence, which would have put his involvement in the early stages of the Six Nations in jeopardy. Hence the relief that he has come back sooner than expected, a sentiment that must surely have been shared by Scotland coach Vern Cotter, who is due to announce his squad for the tournament at Murrayfield around lunchtime today.

"I've got youth on my side," joked the former Cumnock, Ayr and Clermont Auvergne player when he was asked about his rapid recovery. "My healing powers kicked in."

Bennett's particular combination of creativity on the ball, explosive running and strength in contact has drawn comparisons with a young Brian O'Driscoll, but the Scot was understandably reluctant to discuss his prospects of getting back into the international arena after being out for so long.

"I need to get playing," he explained. "Half an hour against Montpellier is all I've had in the nine weeks since the last international. I can to be thinking about [Scotland] just now, I just need to get back on the pitch.

"It's just great to be back playing. Whether it was three weeks earlier or three weeks later doesn't matter; I'm back on the park and that's the important thing.

"I just want to get playing. That's all there is to it. It's always been the same, I just want to get the ball in my hands and play."

Bennett will almost certainly be given that opportunity when the Warriors face Bath at the Recreation Ground on Sunday. The English side's stunning 35-18 away victory over Toulouse has raised the stakes ahead of the cross-Border clash, and with home advantage they are firm favourites to win and put themselves in the mix for a Champions Cup quarter-final place.

However, Glasgow notched an even more emphatic 37-10 victory over the west country side on the competition's opening weekend back in October. Bennett contributed two tries that day, and he is adamant that the Warriors still have the firepower to complete the double this Sunday.

"It's a huge challenge," he acknowledged. "Bath are a great side and by beating Toulouse they put themselves in a great position. It's all go in this group and it has set up a great game next week.

"We've got to be confident. We played really well against them up here when we won with five tries, which no one was expecting. I really don't see why we can't go down there and get a victory."

Yet Bennett also admitted that it was frustrating for the entire Glasgow side that they could not boost their own prospects by claiming a try-bonus against understrength Montpellier, coming up just one short after a sensational hat-trick of touchdowns by winger DTH van der Merwe.

Bennett said: "It was a great victory. Montpellier are a good side, no matter where you're playing them or who they send out. They are strong team.

"I think you could see the frustration on the boys faces at the end of the game. We were all absolutely gutted. It was there for the taking, but a lot of chances were squandered in the first half and Montpellier defended well in parts.

"Silly mistakes cost us the four tries. We had plenty of opportunities and we just didn't execute. We know that we can be better than that and we will need to be for next week."