Scotland eventally pushed past Italy in their Six Nations opener at Murrayfield. Here are four talking points following the win.
The 34-year-old Edinburgh forward’s Test career appeared to be over after he was not selected for a single squad last year.
Back-rower Luke Crosbie and second-row duo Grant Gilchrist and Jonny Gray have also had injury issues in recent weeks.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks' injury crisis deepened this week as Springboks Vincent Koch, Jordan Hendrikse, and Makazole Mapimpi were all ruled out ahead of Sunday’s crucial Investec Champions Cup pool match against Bordeaux Bègles at Stade Chaban-Delmas.
Sharks player ratings: The reigning Investec Champions Cup winners Toulouse booked their place in this year's play-offs on Saturday against the Sharks in Durban, leaving the hosts empty-handed in a 8-20 win.
Going into the four-match Autumn Nations Series the general consensus was that Scotland needed to beat Fiji and Portugal convincingly, give the Springboks a run for their money and close out the year with a win over Australia. So, in that sense, it was a job well done.