Stuart Hogg did not go out with atonement in mind, but he delivered it all the same.
Eleven months on from the lowest point of his career, the Scotland full-back's electrifying performance against France was a timely reminder of just how good a player he can be.
It was a stark contrast to his last Six Nations outing. That was in the Millennium Stadium on 15 March last year, and it lasted just 22 minutes. Chasing down Dan Biggar, Hogg clattered into the Wales fly-half with a shoulder charge that was so late that referee Jerome Garces had no option but to show him the yellow card. Well at least we thought Garces had no option. Having reviewed the incident on the big screen, the official called Hogg back and upgraded the card to red.
At the time, Hogg was also out of sorts at Glasgow, with well-founded reports that he would be heading to another club at the end of the season. As the Warriors made their charge to the PRO12 final at the season's end he seemed to drop further and further out of favour. When coach Gregor Townsend picked his side for the showpiece clash in Dublin, Hogg was not in the team.
Yet the full-back, still just 22, has redeemed himself in many eyes over the past six months. He never dropped out of favour with Scotland - he has been an ever-present selection since Vern Cotter took over last June - and he has turned in some solid performances for Glasgow, where he committed himself for another two years by signing a contract extension earlier this season.
However, it was still important to clear the Six Nations air and consign that rush of blood against Wales to history. And Hogg did that superbly on Saturday.
"Mistakes will happen," said the full-back. "I prefer to move on so it's very much gone in my mind. I'm hoping to make amends and I'll take each game as it comes but hopefully I can continue turning in some good performances."
Stage Two of the recovery programme happens next week when Hogg will once again be faced by the red shirts of Wales - one of which is likely to be worn by Biggar. However, his personal history is of relatively little importance alongside the more important task of turning the promise of Paris into a solid Edinburgh win.
"The boys are really confident," said Hogg. "Obviously we are really disappointed with this result but we know where we went wrong.
Myself and the boys are massively excited for the challenges ahead and we are very much looking forward to facing Wales at BT Murrayfield next week.
"Vern [Cotter] wants us to play an exciting brand of rugby and hopefully we have done that over the last wee while. We had a good autumn and we are hoping to have a good Six Nations.
"It's very much about going out there and enjoying your rugby by being able to express ourselves."
Against France, most of the good things that Scotland did seemed to revolve around Hogg He is too young to be described as rejuvenated, but there was a new spring in his step. Remarkably, it was his first outing for more than a month following a lengthy lay-off with a hamstring problem.
"It wasn't a problem," he said of that injury. "I've had a decent couple of weeks training and I've enjoyed it. After the last few months it's just great to be back. I love playing for Scotland and hopefully that showed in my performance."
Aside from his own dark memories of the occasion, last year's visit to the Millennium Stadium was a retty bleak experience for Scotland as a whole, as they lost 51-3, a record margin of defeat in the championship. However, Wales' loss to England on Friday evening, and especially their listless second-half performance, suggests that things will be much closer this time round.
Hogg said: "We watched their game against England on Friday night and we know it's going to be a tough test. But we know where Wales are strong and where their weaknesses lie. Hopefully on Sunday we can exploit that."
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