Kalman has been at Firhill since 2007 but has struggled to establish himself in the starting XV with internationals Euan Murray and then Low blocking his path to regular first-team rugby.

But with Low out with a knee injury and fellow Warriors tighthead Michael Cusack also sidelined with an ankle knock, Kalman has taken full advantage to catapult himself into the reckoning for a starting berth against England on February 4.

Despite the Warriors’ defeat to Leinster in the Heineken Cup on Sunday, the 29-year-old impressed with his performance in the tight and is likely to have a further European match to cement his claims against Bath this weekend.

And even when he was kicking his heels with frustration, Kalman always believed he would get a chance to shine eventually.

Kalman told the Scotsman before his call-up: “I have improved but I think the whole squad has benefited from a long pre-season where we all got in pretty good physical condition.

“Then when the World Cup players were away there was an opportunity to play on a regular basis and build a bit of form.

“It’s human nature that sometimes you get a little disillusioned or down-hearted, but that’s one of the great things about the period we’ve just come through where lots of people got an opportunity to play, and that’s what we all really want.

“I’m not the only one who has seized that opportunity; you only have to look at the young guys coming through.”