HAVING just arrived from Dunedin, a city that could be mistaken for a scale model of Edinburgh, Hugh Blake was never going to have any problems with the Scottish weather.

Yet things have been a little chilly on other fronts since the 22-year-old New Zealander pitched up in these parts late last year. And positively icy since he was fast-tracked into the Scotland squad by coach - and fellow Kiwi - Vern Cotter last week.

Well, in some quarters at least. For while ex-Scotland prop Peter Wright reflected the views of many in calling Blake's selection "a slap in the face" for more established players, the most common reaction was sheer puzzlement. 'Can anyone tell me anything about Hugh Blake please?" came the almost plaintive tweet from Andy Nicol.

It is not the first time that rugby's chattering classes have been blindsided by a Scotland coach. Andy Robinson was so fond of pulling rabbits from the selection hat that his squad announcements were not so much a Who's Who of Scottish rugby as a Who's He? Tom Heathcote, Blair Cowan, Kieran Low and, ahem, Steven Shingler were all picked before they had figured on any media radar screens.

In Blake's case, the cause of enlightenment was advanced not one bit when the SRU sent a platoon of press officers to Goldenacre, where he was turning out for Melrose against Heriot's on Saturday, to ensure that the fellow was not inconvenienced by pesky journalists having the temerity to ask him a question or two. For that opportunity we had to wait a few days until the former Otago flanker had his official unveiling at the national squad's training base near Motherwell.

It would be wonderful to report that this international man of mystery announced himself to the gathered press pack by crashing into the room in a flowing cape, underpants outside his tights, and with the brazen announcement that he was ready take over from Richie McCaw as the best rugby player on planet earth. The prosaic reality was that he made his entrance in more subdued fashion, almost sheepish in fact, with a round of shy handshakes and quiet hellos.

Cotter had suggested that Blake was a big bloke, but the accuracy of that was hard to judge as he was tightly zipped up in his branded Scotland clobber. His minders had clearly ensured that his mouth was well fastened as well, so assiduously did he avoid adding fuel to the fire of controversy that had surrounded his call-up in the first place.

In fairness, he seemed sincere enough when he talked of his Scottish heritage - passed down from his Glaswegian grandparents, Hugh and Maureen Blake - and his pleasure in meeting up with relations here. He also spoke with conviction about his long-held ambition to play for Scotland, although given his origins it is probably safe to assume that he nurtured dreams about playing in a black shirt as well.

"There is a lot of Scottishness in the family especially at family occasions like Christmas," Blake explained. Fair enough, but there is quite a lot of Scottishness in other players, and it is more of a year-round thing. Blake has raised hackles throughout the game not just because of his swift elevation, but because his arrival in the squad means there is no place for other opensides, such as John Barclay and Roddy Grant, whose abilities are matters of record rather than speculation.

Blake recalled that the initial approach about moving to Scotland came from SRU 'super-scout' Sean Lineen. Soon after signing his trial contract with Edinburgh he had some conversations with Vern Cotter - "and they were really positive" - which is more of a welcome than most trialists can expect, especially when the sun total of rugby they have played for their new club is half-an-hour in an A game.

What, though, of the reception he has been given by his Scotland squad-mates? "Everyone has been pretty good," Blake replied. "Obviously there have been a few headlines but that was always going to happen with some quality players missing out.

"I try not to read too much into it. I have only been picked in the squad. I haven't been picked in the team so I want to prove to the coaches first that I have what it takes and then prove it to the fans and the Scottish people."

Blake also revealed that he had spoken with others who had made the same move that he has. Aside from the climate and cultural connections to Scotland, Dunedin is also home to such characters as John Leslie and Brendan Laney, both of whom made the same move that Blake has now undertaken, with equally mixed receptions.

Yet while Laney and Leslie were barely five minutes off the plane from Auckland before they were turning out at Murrayfield, they did not enlighten Blake on the more controversial aspects of their experiences. "They talked about the great times they had with Scotland," he said. "They did not influence my decision but I knew about them. I heard about the grief Brendan got but he didn't tell me about it himself."

Yet comparisons with those predecessors can only be taken so far. The harsh fact is that Laney and Leslie - and, for that matter, a host of other so-called Kilted Kiwis - had already reached a far higher level in the game than Blake has before they made the move from New Zealand to Scotland. Blake played for the New Zealand under-20 side that reached the final (where they lost to South Africa) of the 2012 junior world championships, but he could not make the breakthrough from the Otago provincial side to the Highlanders Super Rugby franchise.

Still, Cotter is a pretty good judge of players, and back-row players especially. If the coach's instincts are right and Blake does make it all the way to Test rugby then the current disquiet will evaporate. Until then, though, the jury will be out.