In the preceding 80 minutes, Strokosch had been the arch-enforcer for Scotland, the fiercest and most effective presence in a heroic and history-making defensive performance. It warmed the cockles of Scottish hearts on a cold and filthy New South Wales night, but a few glasses of Cotes du Rousillon must also have gone down with a satisfied slurp that evening as the good people of Perpignan anticipated the arrival of the latest signing at their club.
For just as Strokosch's commitment and uncompromising style made him a hero among the Kingsholm Shedheads during his five seasons at Gloucester, they like their flankers without frills at the Stade Aime Giral, as well. Nathan Hines became a crowd favourite at the club on the strength of his apparent immunity to pain – especially an opponent's – and Strokosch was the kind of fellow they were always likely to warm to.
So it has turned out during the early weeks of a Top 14 season in which the fans' frustration with Perpignan's hit-and-miss form has been allayed by satisfaction with the hit-and-hit habits of the Scot. And while some of his fellow exiles have been struggling with niggling injuries since they opted to take French leave, the 29-year-old Strokosch has fitness, form and a growing sense that he has pitched up in the right place.
"Over here, they seem to respect you for what your strength is rather than what they think they want you to become," said the player who took his cap collection up to 28 on the summer trip to Australasia. "The coaches make it pretty clear to you what your job is, and you just have to make sure that you get it done."
Strokosch has settled into his new home in a village close to Perpignan with his wife and two-year-old daughter. For a man whose tattoos and bullet-headed look suggest a certain intensity, he seems rather taken with the more easy-going way of life he has found at the eastern end of the Pyrenees.
"It's been good so far," he explained. "It's a different pace of life. The way they live is very much to enjoy their life, so it's a nice change. It's more relaxed, definitely. The training day is structured differently because you going for two or three hours in the morning, have three or four hours at home and then come back for the late afternoon and early evening.
"I spoke to Wagga [Hines] a couple of times before I made the decision to come here and he was very positive. He loved the place and I think he still has a house. Of course, I knew it was going to be different, but I was prepared for that and it's been great. I didn't speak French before I got here, so I'm trying to pick it up now.
"We get classes, put on by the club, and they're pretty good. I'm really keen to learn because they don't want you over here for a few years and not have learned the language. That would be a big waste, so I'm working as hard as I can. It was quite difficult at the start, but it's amazing how quickly you pick it up when you're using it every day."
Strokosch's first duty with his new team was, quite literally, to head for the hills. Perpignan have made a tradition of holding a pre-season camp in the high Pyrenean mountains, a custom that is as much a team-bonding exercise as anything to do with fitness and conditioning. With around a dozen new players on the books, that dimension became even more important this year, although the Scot's most powerful memory was of training at the nearby Font Romeu high-altitude centre, where Mo Farah was going through his pre-Olympic paces at the same time.
Of course, while Perpignan have been seven-time champions of France, you have to be careful with the F word in the company of fans who would declare their nationality as Catalan before anything else. Strokosch was made aware of that distinction almost as soon as he arrived, and the esteem which those fans have for him may not be unconnected with the fact he has embraced the culture so quickly. "There is something different about it," Strokosch said. "It's not like other French clubs. "They really are fiercely proud about being Catalan, and that's the biggest part of the identity around here. They don't really think of themselves as a French team at all, more of a Catalan national side."
As such, Perpignan play the occasional game in Barcelona, which is where Strokosch, born in Paisley and raised in East Kilbride, found himself turning out against Toulouse in front of 30,000 passionate Catalans in the Olympic stadium two weekends ago. Expectations were low as Perpignan had won just one of their four league games up to that point, but they found their form superbly, with Strokosch contributing one of five tries as they hammered Toulouse 34-20.
"It was a great occasion, very noisy," he said. "It was great to win, but the performance was probably as pleasing as the result because that was the first time everything had gone right for us. It certainly made an impression.
"We had made a slow start to the season, with a tough first game against Toulon [lost 21-15]. The biggest disappointment was the second game, against Bordeaux [lost 26-22] because we really should have won that game. It was a sign of where we were as a new team, but things have started to get a lot better now and we're starting to find our feet."
Perpignan did not win a place in this season's Heineken Cup and the indications are that they will not be pushing too hard in the European second-tier Amlin Cup, either. There has also been speculation recently that financial pressures on the club could force them to offload James Hook, the Wales fly-half, who is reportedly earning around £300,000 at the club.
At least Strokosch should soon have the welcome distraction of an autumn international programme. With Rob Harley injured, the blindside battle would appear to be a contest between himself and the fit-again Kelly Brown, although Edinburgh's Stuart McInally could be a surprise call-up when Andy Robinson names his squad in three weeks' time.
But Strokosch backs his chances. "I feel pretty confident," he admitted. "I had a good summer and have made a good start here. But I don't spend too much time worrying about it. The way I see it, as long as I play every game well then selection is for someone else to make the decision."
