To take the common analogy just a little bit further, Gordon Ross is so far into the evening of his career that he has long since turned off Newsnight, put the cat out and tucked himself into bed with a nice cup of cocoa and a copy of the People's Friend.

After all, 16 years have gone by since the teenage Ross made a sensational entry into top-flight rugby by kicking the last-minute drop goal that edged Edinburgh past Biarritz in their Challenge Cup tie in the Parc des Sports Aguilera. And it was fully a dozen years ago that he announced his arrival in Test rugby by kicking 23 points on his Scotland debut against Tonga at Murrayfield.

Back then, Ross seemed to be shaping up as the natural successor to Gregor Townsend as Scotland fly-half for a new era. He would go on to win 25 caps, finishing on the winning side 13 times, but most of those were as a replacement. Matt Williams, who took over as Scotland coach ahead of the 2004 Six Nations, always preferred to have Dan Parks in the pivot position, while Frank Hadden, Williams' successor, was not much more eager to pick him. Ross's time as an international player petered out in 2006, shortly after Hadden arrived.

So that was that? Not in the mind of Ross himself, a player blessed with such an abundance of natural talent that he could just as easily have made a professional career in cricket, golf, tennis or football as he did in rugby. He might have been the forgotten man as far as Murrayfield was concerned, but a host of clubs were still eager to have him on their books. After leaving Edinburgh in 2002, he made his way to Leeds, then Castres, then Saracens and then, finally, to London Welsh in 2009.

Ross was 31 at that point. Even he might have thought he was seeing out his days in a rugby backwater, but the famous old club attracted some significant new money, and three seasons later they - and Ross - found themselves back in the Aviva Premiership. It was a brief stay, though, for they were relegated after one campaign, their departure hastened by a five-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player.

Ross, now 35, decided it was time to focus his attention on coaching and take a back seat as far as playing was concerned. Except, it turned into the kind of back seat that came equipped with a steering wheel and a full set of controls. With injuries affecting other players, when the season got underway, Ross slotted back into his familiar position at fly-half, driving the side on. At the end of September he was named as London Welsh's Player of the Month.

His October form was no less impressive. Last weekend, he landed five conversions and two penalties in the club's 41-6 victory over Cornish Pirates at the Kassam Stadium. Those efforts brought his run of successful kicks to 33 on the trot, a staggering achievement even in this era of high-kicking percentages. For the record, he has maintained that sequence through five games - all won, taking London Welsh to the top of the Greene King Championship - with 17 penalties and six conversions in all.

"It's going alright," was Ross's understated assessment. "I was very lucky at the weekend, just about all of them were in front of the posts. I do speak to my wingers and tell them that if they score under the posts they'll get rewarded.

"Obviously I continue to put the work in during the week to make sure I'm mentally and physically prepared. Hopefully the storms which are forecast [London Welsh will take on Leeds at Headingley on Sunday] stay away and I can continue the run if I'm kicking this weekend.

"A few years ago, I think it was my first season at Leeds, I got 29 in a row in the league, but I was a bit-part kicker then. I wasn't the main kicker, so they built up over two seasons. Now, I'm very fortunate that I've got a decent set of forwards that keep winning us penalties, but I can't give them all the credit can I? I've really got to give myself a big pat on the back."

With a centre partnership of the 34-year-old former England player Tom May and the 36-year-old Welsh playmaker Sonny Parker, Ross and his midfield mates might more easily be mistaken for refugees from Last of the Summer Wine than top-class athletes, but there is no question that they can still do worthwhile shifts as they propel London Welsh into pole position for a quick return to the Premiership.

Ross's recent run is all the more remarkable given his responsibilities on the coaching front, but he says he can switch between the two roles quite easily. "When I'm coaching during the week and looking after the backs or skills sessions the boys are very respectful, but I know come the team run on a Friday and the game, I'm a player," he says. "It's certainly a different workload to when I was just a player. I like the early morning starts, but some of the late finishes aren't up my street. My Countdown skills are long gone.

"I still speak to the players before a game as backs coach, but come an hour before kick-off, when I go out to start my warm up, that's when I switch off and try and make sure I'm mentally prepared for the game."

Sunday's visit to Leeds is a return to one of Ross's old stomping grounds, but it will also mean a reunion with Sir Ian McGeechan, who was Scotland coach when Ross won his first cap, However, his focus is firmly on the game rather than meeting up with old friends. "Leeds are on a very good run, they've won four out of five," said Ross. "But hopefully we can make it six from six for ourselves. To do that, however, we're probably going to have to produce our best performance of the season."