David Denton is determined to show he belongs at international level after being handed his first Scotland start in Saturday's RBS 6 Nations opener against England.
Charlie Hodgson, should he this week be selected as England fly-half as anticipated, can expect number eight Denton to be charging towards him early and often at Murrayfield, with the Calcutta Cup at stake.
Denton's running, such as that witnessed in the Heineken Cup win over Racing Metro in Paris, should strike fear into many an opponent and he hopes to carry his form into the international arena.
Denton, a rugby blogger for HeraldScotland who will be 22 on Sunday, said: "The last few months has been pretty incredible and I just want to move on from here and keep going. It's now about taking that to the next level and I'm hoping to do that on Saturday.
"I'm trying as well as I can to take it in my stride. I want to go out there and feel like I'm meant to be here and feel comfortable in my shoes. My job in the team is to get my hands on the ball and get us on the front foot.
"What I've got to do is get my hands on the ball early, get myself into the game and help the boys get a bit of momentum going forward."
Behind him at the scrum will be fellow HeraldScotland blogger and Chris Cusiter, restored to the starting line-up at scrum half
Denton, the Zimbabwe-born 6ft 5in, 18st forward who normally plays at flanker, is untainted by Scotland's earliest Rugby World Cup exit, having been omitted from the squad for New Zealand despite a strong display off the bench on his debut against Ireland in August.
Head coach Andy Robinson and his charges have regularly stated Scotland must ensure narrow matches go in their favour.
Denton, who qualifies through his Glasgow-born mother, is hoping to contribute. He said: "A lot of the boys have said in the press before that the time has come to stop talking about it and to start doing it.
"We've been playing well, training's been going really well and things are looking sharp. It's a great opportunity for us to stake our claim in the competition."
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