Jon Welsh last played for Scotland in the most pivotal moment in the team’s history, but he plans to be part of another more positive one at the Principality Stadium tomorrow.
The Newcastle tight-head prop was the man erroneously called offaside by referee Craig Joubert in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Australia in 2015, resulting in the penalty Bernard Foley kicked to cruelly knocks the Scots out of the tournament.
It’s taken until now for Welsh, always a formidable scrummager but often tagged as not being dynamic in the open field for the modern game, to fight his way back. And it’s only now he’s getting asked about that day at Twickenham.
“My pals still blame me,” he laughed. “I remember when it happened and everything that went on. We knew straight away what had happened and Greig (Laidlaw) and Gordon (Reid) were screaming at the ref “go to the TMO it came off the nine”.
“He made the call. In the game of rugby you respect the ref’s call. Has anyone tried to ref a game, there are a thousand things going on.
“Maybe other refs would have gone to the TMO, there was almost the exact same incident on the Lions tour in the summer and they got the call right there.”
A week later, Welsh volunteered to play for his new club the Falcons and has barely looked back, becoming a regular in a team moving up the Aviva Premiership and finally finding a way back to Scotland.
“I’ve been in training squads since but not the team, so I was never away,” he said. “You never give up hope that you’ll get a chance to play for Scotland again. If you perform well for your club then your country will come for you.
“As I have got older I’ve realised it takes time for a team to gel. That is what you are starting to see at Newcastle, a group that has been together for three or four years now with wee tweaks here and there and that’s translating out on the pitch.”
Club mate Chris Harris Welsh thought could be an England player before he realised the centre was Scottish qualified – “it was good we snapped him up” – and he has come to greatly admire his front row partner Scott Lawson who has also been recalled.
For another “Scottish” player at the Falcons, Gary Graham, the choice between countries led to him going with England.
“That is Gary’s decision, his choice, and I’m not really surprised,” said Welsh. “He is a very good player but he got the call from England and answered it.
“Has there been a bit of banter about it? Oh yes, lots!”
He has no doubt that his front row partners will be able to stand up to Wales, despite Warren Gatland indicating they will be targeted.
“I’ve no doubt at all. I’ve played with Gordy for years and Rambo (Stuart McInally) has come on leaps and bounds since I last played with him. His setpiece has improved massively.
“I don’t care what they’re saying I’ve got my own job to focus on.”
It’s been some journey for Welsh, who started at the Whitecraigs club, forced his way into pro rugby via GHA, and won his first cap literally at ten minutes notice in Rome.
“Chunk (Allan Jacobsen) went down as late as you could and I was straight into it,” he recalled. “The door was being locked so we could try and get Chunk fit; well strapped up, you’d never get him fit!
“Andy (Robinson) told me to get ready and it all seemed to happen in two seconds.”
