The bleak 2019 World Cup memory that is now driving on Sam Skinner

Sam Skinner can remember exactly where he was during the last Rugby World Cup – and it wasn’t where he wanted to be. Part of Scotland’s training squad for the 2019 tournament, the abrasive Edinburgh lock-cum-flanker’s versatility made him an almost certain pick for the final 31-man party.

But after starting the second of four warm-up Tests, against France at Murrayfield, Skinner was carried off after an hour with a hamstring injury. As hamstring injuries go, it wasn’t the worst, but a week before Gregor Townsend was scheduled to name his final squad, the timing was horrendous.

A projected four-to-six weeks recovery period kyboshed his hopes of featuring in the tournament and Skinner returned to Exeter to begin the lonely rehabilitation process, as clubmates such as Jonny Gray, Stuart Hogg, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Henry Slade and Jack Nowell headed off to Japan.

“I remember sitting in one of the Chiefs’ dining areas during my rehab while everyone else was out training,” he recalled. “I was watching us play Samoa and remember Sean Maitland scoring a try from a cross-kick.

“I was just sat there in this silent room on my own, desperate for us to get four tries because we had lost to Ireland and basically had to win every game from there on. I remember it very well, sat by myself watching the World Cup go ahead without me.”

If Skinner is philosophical about his misfortune four years ago, missing out in the way he did has provided ample motivation to ensure he is involved in the global gathering in France this autumn. “Of course, it’s a massive dream of mine to go to a World Cup with Scotland and I’m going to put my best foot forward,” he said. “All I can do is control what I can.

“If something blindsides me like that, then it happens and that’s life, isn’t it? Worse things have happened to people. It wasn’t ideal last time around but that is just professional sport sometimes. Hopefully, I’ll just keep my head down, work hard and find myself with a plane ticket to France.”

Second row is an area where Scotland are currently blessed with enviable resources, and Skinner has a job on his hands to ensure he receives the call. But with squad sizes rising from 31 to 33 for this World Cup, it would be a surprise – given his ability to also play blindside – if he wasn’t selected, despite fierce competition.

A rejuvenated Richie Gray and Skinner’s Edinburgh teammate Grant Gilchrist have been in pole position of late with Jonny Gray, Skinner and a fully restored Scott Cummings also contending hard, while Leicester’s ever-improving Cameron Henderson also featured in the wider Six Nations squad.

At 28, Skinner should still have at least one more World Cup to strive for, but recent experience tells him it doesn’t pay to look too far ahead. Another untimely injury has already cost him further caps this season.

After a promising start to life with Edinburgh following his move north from Exeter last summer, Skinner was chosen to start Scotland’s first autumn Test against Australia in late October. But he was forced off after only 24 minutes with what proved to be a small fracture in his foot and missed the rest of the autumn series.

Skinner returned to action in late December and some strong form – notably in Champions Cup victories against Castres and Saracens – saw him restored to the squad for the Six Nations. But with Richie Gray’s Test renaissance in full swing, Skinner was restricted to just 10 minutes off the bench against France in Paris until Gray’s injury against Ireland saw him chosen to start Scotland’s final match against Italy – his 25th cap – alongside Jonny Gray.

If that confirmed Skinner is still very much in Townsend’s thoughts for a World Cup spot, Edinburgh’s mid-season collapse in form means Friday’s final-round URC fixture against Ulster will be his last chance to make a statement in club colours before the head coach announces his training squad for the tournament ahead of four warm-up Tests starting in late July.

For someone whose time at Exeter saw the club reach six English Premiership finals in a row – Skinner played in three successive Twickenham showpieces from 2018 to 2020, albeit the latter took place in October during a campaign extended by covid – this is unfamiliar territory.

“It feels like the shortest season of my life, I can't believe it,” he said as he contemplates just his 14th club game of the season on Friday. “I’ve had half the games I had last season and to be stood here in April thinking we will be finishing next week is a bit different.”

Despite the earlier-than-anticipated end to Edinburgh’s campaign, the Exeter-born forward, whose father is from Ayr, insists he has “absolutely no regrets” about leaving his home city for pastures new.

“I have absolutely loved it,” he said. “Life away from rugby and the rugby side of things have been a real freshen-up for me. I have really enjoyed challenging myself in a new environment and meeting new people, seeing how things are done differently. It’s been really exciting.

“Edinburgh is an amazing city and an amazing place to live. It has been fantastic but the obvious elephant in the room is that we have not been as successful as we all would have liked as a team and that has been challenging. We’re disappointed but absolutely no regrets, it has been brilliant.”

Recent weeks have brought uncertainty following Mike Blair’s decision to step down as head coach and the appointment of former Worcester boss Steve Diamond in a consultancy capacity. Skinner believes Diamond’s arrival has “freed up” Blair and allowed him “more time and energy to put into our attack. You can feel his presence more, which is great, and the boys have loved that.”

Blair has spoken of his desire to focus solely on becoming a “world-class attack coach” and it is clear the Edinburgh squad are hoping that could still be in the Scottish capital, whoever the new head coach turns out to be. “I don't know what he wants but he has a fantastic connection and bond with the players,” Skinner said.

“We all have the same opinion towards Mike. He is a fantastic coach. He has created a hell of an environment here for us and we owe him a lot. I would love to have Mike still at the club, 100 per cent.”

During a four-week break following some end-of-season reviews, Skinner will keep a close eye on how some of the “friends for life” he made at Exeter tackle their daunting Champions Cup semi-final against La Rochelle later this month, before his thoughts turn to France 2023.

Skinner should be fresher than most when the three-month build-up begins in early June with the first of a series of summer training camps geared towards Scotland trying to negotiate a fiendishly difficult group also featuring Ireland and South Africa.

“The general consensus is they want us ready to hit targets straight away, with a big rugby focus going into the World Cup, which is cool,” he added. “I’m ready to go.”