Al Strokosch minces opponents, not words.

Meeting him on a pitch is not the sort of experience a player would anticipate with any relish, and his conversation style is almost as direct. On Planet Strokosch, a spade is never anything but a spade.

So while there are those who might try to talk their way round a 51-3 defeat, explain it as a blip or a freak result, the 31-year-old Perpignan flanker is not one of them. For Strokosch, what happened to Scotland in the Millennium Stadium last year was an embarrassment, a humiliation and a disgrace. Thrown on as a replacement for Kelly Brown after eight minutes, Scotland's subsequent collapse was the worst experience of his rugby life.

But it also left a residue of determination. "Yeah," said Strokosch when he was asked if that loss will fester within him until he gets another shot at Wales. "A big bit."

Strokosch may get that chance this weekend. Scotland coach Vern Cotter will tomorrow name his side to play Wales in Sunday's RBS 6 Nations clash at BT Murrayfield, and the indications are that Rob Harley, who picked up a leg injury in the loss to France last Saturday, could be struggling to be fit for the game. If Harley is out, then Strokosch is almost certainly in.

You can sense his determination to make amends. Last year's match in Cardiff was his only appearance in the 2014 Six Nations, and as much as he relishes any opportunity to represent his country, it is one that he would probably have rather missed.

It was not just the numbers on the scoreboard that upset him, but the evident glee of the Welsh players as they rubbed salty ignominy into Scotland's open wounds.

"We were humiliated," he recalled. "They were swan-diving over the line and singing to each other at the after-match meal. It was a big insult, a big slap in the face, and it's not something that's going to happen again.

"It's the worst defeat we've ever had, or something like that. The manner in which we folded over. The team didn't do ourselves or the jersey justice. It was an embarrassing display to be a part of."

As the Wales match was the last outing of last year's Six Nations, Strokosch might have taken refuge in the south of France as he returned to club duty with Perpignan. Except that the Catalan side were also in a bit of a pickle at the time, struggling along at the bottom of the French Top 14 championship. It was a struggle they were destined to lose, for at the end of the season the six-times French champions were relegated to the Pro D2, the second tier of rugby in France.

At that point, Strokosch had the option to move on, but he decided to remain at the club he had joined in 2012 after five seasons at Gloucester and three at Edinburgh. However, that choice has put him in the unique, and probably less than enviable, position of being the only player in the current Scotland squad who is not playing in one of Europe's top leagues. Does he feel the need to justify himself in light of that?

"There was a bit of a concern when we got relegated," he admitted. "But I've been pleasantly surprised with the standard of rugby in D2. I think the only difference between that and the Top 14 is that in the Top 14 you always get a full 80 minutes of intense rugby.

"In the second division, you'll get 10 minutes of real, hard quick rugby and then there will be five or 10 minutes when there are a lot of dropped balls, a lot of breakdowns, and it's a bit slow. Then it'll pick up again. It comes and goes in spells, but there are a lot of good teams, a lot of good players in that second division. It surprised me actually."

With the top level of French rugby increasingly concentrated in urban centres - witness the rise of city sides like Lyon and Montpellier in recent years - the drop has also given Strokosch a chance to visit some of the hallowed grounds of French rugby and to experience the passion that still lingers in such places as Pau and Tarbes and Agen. Perpignan are handily placed to make a quick return to the top flight, but it is tough rugby - which is pretty much how he likes it.

"A lot of the teams were big ten or 15 years ago," he explained. "It's great getting to go back and see them. In a small town or village you still get 10,000 people coming to watch every game. It's incredible. It's real tribal; every little town is proud of their rugby team. It's great.

"Relegation didn't go down too well in Perpignan. It's the first time in their history that they've been relegated. But the supporters stuck by us and I think they sold more season-tickets this season than last. I think they'll always stick by us; it's that ingrained, we're always going to have great supporters."

This week, though, the focus is entirely on Scotland. Strokosch has been around the squad for a few years now - he was first capped, against Australia, in 2006 - and he is impressed by how it has evolved under Cotter.

Strokosch said: "Vern is a real strong character who pretty much inspires respect straight away from the first time you meet him. Another positive is the young guys who have suddenly come into the squad. They bring a lot of energy and a lot of pace to how we're going to play the game. It's really fun to be part of."