Blair Cowan is ready to add whatever he can to the Scotland camp after Vern Cotter called on the flanker to replace Grant Gilchrist.
Scotland kicked off the Rugby World Cup with back-to-back wins over Japan and USA, only for second-row Gilchrist – who missed this year’s RBS 6 Nations with a broken arm – to be ruled out of the rest of the tournament with injury.
That, however, opened the door for Cowan and he could well play a part against two-time champions South Africa in Newcastle on Saturday.
“I just saw the boys when I arrived and I was kind of caught off-guard by how stoked I was to see them,” he said. “I was quite emotional. I’m just excited to be part of a World Cup now.
“The (coaches) know what I can do. I don’t need to prove myself. I just want to come up here and be positive. Even if it’s just in training, I’ll just bring some energy.
“And if I’m called up to play on Saturday am I ready? Yeah – just show me the jersey.”
Cowan, who made his Scotland debut last year and started all five games of the 2015 RBS 6 Nations, had narrowly missed out on selection for head coach Vern Cotter’s initial 31-man squad.
And the 29-year-old is eager to make the most of his second chance.
“It was devastating,” recalled Cowan. “I was hugely aware it was a big possibility because of the performances the other boys were putting out there.
“But I’ve been through it all before. My career hasn’t been the smoothest – it’s been a bit of a roller-coaster ride so know there are peaks and troughs you can go through.
“I just had to stay on my toes. There are some tight turnarounds at the World Cup so it’s inevitable that injuries would happen. Just look at Wales, they’ve had it tough.
“So to get the call-up is sensational. It’s every man’s dream. It’s just a shame it comes on the back of someone hurting themselves.”
