Scotland centre Alex Dunbar excited by Six Nations return
Wednesday 9 March 2016 10:11, UK
Alex Dunbar is confident he can make an impact on his return to international rugby after spending a year out of the Scotland set-up.
The 25-year-old missed the World Cup after suffering a torn cruciate ligament in training on the eve of last year's Calcutta Cup clash, before a thigh injury saw him miss the first three matches of this year's Six Nations.
But the centre has started Glasgow's last two games and is back in Vern Cotter's Scotland squad ahead of Sunday's clash with France at Murrayfield.
With Scotland awaiting results from tests on Matt Scott's elbow injury, Dunbar will challenge Duncan Taylor and Mark Bennett for a place in midfield.
"Certainly the couple of games I have played for Glasgow, I've done all right," said Dunbar. "I still need to keep working week to week but I feel good just now and I feel fresh. If I get a chance I would jump at it.
It's just been frustrating, stop-start, but I feel good just now. I have done quite a bit of conditioning work and I feel good. Hopefully it lasts.
"It's good to still be thought of. It's a case of letting the rugby do the talking, going out there and showing what I can do and hopefully helping the team get a victory."
Dunbar battled hard to make the World Cup squad but it was always an unlikely task and his subsequent comeback has been stalled by lesser injuries.
"It's been frustrating that you do all the hard work, come back to fitness, then play a game and you feel good, then play the next game and pick up something that pretty much means you can't lace the boots up for two weeks," he added.
"It's just been frustrating, stop-start, but I feel good just now. I have done quite a bit of conditioning work and I feel good going into the last two games. Hopefully it lasts.
"I feel like I'm also back to the level where I was at. It's just a case of getting back in and playing regularly and enjoying it.
"It feels good to be back in the set-up, it's been a while since I've been involved. It's good to get back into it and see some familiar faces."
Dunbar rejoins a camp in positive mood, boosted by their first Six Nations win in 10 games, after they defeated Italy 36-20 in Rome on February 27.
"There's a good buzz about the squad, the boys are laughing and joking," he added. "It's all pretty positive, we just have to knuckle down this week and look at France.
"Things are a little bit more relaxed. We know as a squad we have not been far off getting wins, it's just been little mistakes and little bits of inaccuracy that have been costing us. It takes the pressure off.
"We know at times we showed when we put things together through phases that we can score, it's just a case of doing that on a more regular basis."
