To add insult to his injury, he was also sinbinned for taking a player out in the air and has had to wait nearly 12 months for his second opportunity under Andy Robinson after three further appearances off the bench.

And Cross, who replaces Moray Low in Scotland’s only change for their Wooden Spoon decider against Italy, maintains he is an older, wiser player than the one that suffered a rush of blood to head against Wales.

He said: "What I took from that experience on my first cap, when I got knocked out, was that there are jobs that you do well as a rugby player and strengths you can play to, and it's important to identify those, hone them in practice and deploy them in a game, and that's your job.

“It's not useful or constructive, however well-intentioned, to be all-singing and all-dancing and doing everything.

"I feel now that when I was playing my first cap that was what I wanted to do and I don't think that is the way to help my team perform, nor how I can contribute best to my team's performance.

"I'm pleased to be back in. It's a place that I want to be. I've been working hard to get back in and now that I am in it's important that I kick on and put in a performance that challenges to stay with the No. 3 jersey.

"I believed that if I trained and practised what I was good at and worked on my strengths, and put those out in places like the Magners League, then that would be recognised and provide me with an opportunity to deploy those strengths at an international level. I think it's important that players identify their strengths and play to them."