Skinner using World Cup heartache as spur

SCOTLAND lock Sam Skinner has vowed to make the most of his Guinness Six Nations chance as he aims to leave his World Cup heartache behind.

The big Exeter forward was certain to be one of the first names down for a seat on the plane to Japan last autumn after impressing during his first six Test appearances for Gregor Townsend’s side.

But the 25-year-old ended up being left behind after suffering a hamstring injury in the warm-up win over France just a week before Townsend named his final squad.

It was a bitter blow but Skinner has now finally recovered and aims to take out his frustrations against Les Bleus, who bring the latest stage of their Grand Slam quest to Murrayfield on Sunday.

“I’m thrilled to be back in,” said Skinner. “I love being back with the guys and I’m ready to get stuck in.

“Missing out on the World Cup was difficult to take at the time. I think my family ended up saving some money on a nice camper van rather than going to Japan as a silver lining.

“It was a long seven months in the end and it was a tough period. But I’ve worked on some things away from rugby and I’ve enjoyed the process, so I’m just happy to be back.

“It’s gutting at the time, though. You take a short period to feel sorry for yourself but you can’t take the highs too high and the lows too low. It was just kind of keep cracking on and enjoying it.

“I wanted the boys to do as well as possible and like most Scotland fans I was on the edge of my seat most of the time. I watched, supported and I was gutted when we couldn’t quite make it through.

“What can you do? Life chucks some things in the way, but you’ve just got to crack on. I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to come back in now.”