While most players were all but guaranteed their positions in the Scotland squad for the Rugby World Cup some time before Wednesday’s official announcement, a feverish few were in doubt right up until the final phone call from Gregor Townsend. The most keenly contested positions were in the front and back rows, and that meant an especially anxious wait for the likes of Edinburgh hooker Dave Cherry, who was fighting it out with team-mates Stuart McInally and Ewan Ashman and Glasgow’s George Turner for the three available slots in the 33-man group.

In fact, the circumstances at the moment the news was delivered made it a doubly anxious occasion for Cherry. The 32-year-old’s partner, Olivia, is due to give birth at the end of next month, and the pair were in a National Childbirth Trust class when his phone rang. 

It was the head coach. Cherry had to take the call - and he genuinely did not know if it was going to be good news or bad. “I was certainly quite anxious on the day,” he explained. “Gregor gave us absolutely no indication beforehand - we were completely in the dark. 

“I was golfing with [Edinburgh and Scotland team-mate] Sam Skinner in the morning and we were both looking at our phones, really anxious. Then thankfully I did end up getting the right call and I was delighted. 

“I was actually in an NCT class at the time. They were talking about pain medication, I think. They were in the third hour of it, so I think I had switched off a bit! 

“I saw a call coming in from Gregor and was like, ‘Oh no’, because I didn’t know either way - the hooker position was pretty competitive. 

“So I snuck out of the class, spoke to Gregor and obviously it was good news. I came back in with a smile on my face and got a hug from my partner, which is nice.

“This is our first child, a baby girl. It’s a busy period in my life. My partner is due at the end of September, so the timing is not great!

“It depends how Scotland do whether she’ll come out. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

The fact that Cherry was a late developer and only won the first of his nine caps to date in 2021 might suggest that he has only recently harboured hopes of representing his country at the World Cup. In reality, however, his dream - which has since become steadily more realistic - was born back in 2017. 

That year he had ended a three-year stint with London Scottish to sign for Stade Nicois, and it was during his first few months with that club that France was announced as the host nation for the 2023 event. Scotland will play their second pool match against Tonga in Nice itself, which will make the occasion feel even more like a sort of homecoming for Cherry.

“I’ve been thinking about it since I was in Nice,” he said. “I thought: ‘The World Cup will be happening here and it would be pretty cool to come back here and play’.

“That’s when I first thought about it, and obviously I’ve started to progress more and more and it became a more realistic goal. Finally we’re here and I’m going back to Nice, so I’m over the moon.

“It’s a lovely part of the world and plenty to explore. I’ve told the boys a few places to go and get food.”

While Cherry’s name was duly included in the squad along with those of Turner and Ashman, McInally - who captained Scotland at the last World Cup and had already said he would retire after this one - was the man to miss out.

“I feel for Rambo,” Cherry said. “It would be a horrible thing to get the call saying you’re not in. 

“He’s a great bloke and I’ll see him at the weekend. I’m sure he’ll be delighted for us even though he’s not in, because that’s the kind of guy he is.”

According to Townsend, Cherry’s consistency was a key factor in the decision to select him, with an impressive showing in this month’s home friendly against France - when he came off the bench and scored the winning try - being especially timely.

“I think there was a bit of pressure on me in that game. I thought it could be my only opportunity to really stick my hand on. You’re obviously reliant on a lot of people in a game of rugby to help things go well and your way, and luckily it did.

“Consistency is more my game. I might not do the Duhan van der Merwe 80-metre tries, but I’ve backed myself and tried to put my hand up as a consistent player that can deliver in pressure situations. It puts pressure on me to be able to deliver, but what a stage to do it on.”