It is two years already since Jack Dempsey made his Scotland debut after switching allegiances from his native Australia, and the number eight feels like it has been the “perfect fit” for team and player.
Dempsey has established himself as Scotland’s go-to man at number eight in the past two years – a second chance in the international arena after winning 14 caps for the Wallabies.
And he’s relishing the prospect of facing the world champions on Sunday.
Looking back on his time with Scotland so far, Dempsey said: “I've loved every second of it. I said at the time, to get that, I guess, second chance in the Test arena was a dream come true again, as any young rugby player would say.
“But to fast-forward two years and the bonds I've created, some of the friends I've made, the experiences while I've been over here have been unreal. I've loved it all.”
Read more:
-
You might not like it, but Scotland must continue importing players
-
Hastings hopeful he's done enough for chance against South Africa
Dempsey’s direct approach to the game has been a useful addition to Scotland’s arsenal, with the number eight able to make inroads in heavy traffic with ball in hand.
“I think there was just a bit of a need for a guy with my kind of skill set to come,” he said of his seamless transition into the Scotland side.
"It’s been a match made in heaven with the style Gregor wants to play, with the history and the kind of identity that Scotland have always kind of had and played with.
“They want to be an exciting team. I think all those things combined have just added to positive results and experiences.”
Dempsey was part of the Rugby World Cup defeat to South Africa in Marseille and is yet to beat the Springboks in five attempts during his dual international career.
He’s keen to try and set that record straight on Sunday.
“It’s the ultimate test,” he said.
“They're the back-to-back defending champions. We all know that.
“They're the best in the world. They're the ultimate test in terms of being a professional rugby player, and they deserve to have that crown.
“We're at a point now where we want to see how much we've grown from the World Cup, from when we played them last time.”
While the Glasgow Warriors contingent in Gregor Townsend’s squad can take confidence from their URC title win, and likewise Blair Kinghorn who won the European and French titles with Toulouse, Dempsey knows facing the Springboks is a different assignment altogether.
He added: “It's important to take those experiences to this game. But at the same token, it's a different sport, Test rugby.
“The Springboks aren't the Bulls. The Springboks aren't Bordeaux or Leinster or any kind of club. They're the best country for eight years straight.
“We're not under an illusion about what's coming, but we embrace them. We welcome them to Scotland. We're glad to have them here and glad to play against the best in the world.”
Growing up in Australia, Dempsey spent his formative years watching the Wallabies battle the Springboks. To record a first win over the back-to-back world champions is added motivation.
"This will be my fifth time playing them,” he said. “I played them three times with the Wallabies - draw, draw, loss. Once with Scotland in the World Cup and a loss, so I haven't beaten them.
“And as an Australian growing up, watching all the rivalries around the world, England and Scotland - got to play in that, got to win that. All Blacks - got to do that and win that. Haven't beaten the Springboks. For obvious reasons - they're the best in the world.
“So that's just another way to get motivated for the game.”
If Scotland are to cause an upset on Sunday, Dempsey knows that Scotland can ill-afford the type of dip in performance they suffered after a blistering opening quarter against Fiji.
"It's something that has been well documented with Scotland,” the number eight acknowledged. “At least when I've been here, we'll have those explosive moments where we can just score from anywhere and put on 15, 20 points in the blink of an eye, but then we can also do the same thing in reverse.
“It's something we spend a lot of time on during the week, in terms of that mentality. And the key leaders in our team, obviously now led by Nonz [Sione Tuipulotu], around driving that and what that looks like in terms of rectifying when those swings come into it.
“During that Fiji game, that period, that's something that we looked at and were fairly positive with how we then bounced back coming into the second half to put on some more points.
“But at the same token, that's the natural part of Test rugby, is making sure that when other teams get their moments, which they do, and any team in the world will have their moments in a game, about how we respond to a challenge. And that's, again, another way how we measure ourselves.”
And being able to think on their feet will also be key for Scotland at the weekend, with the Springboks developing their attacking game from last year’s World Cup win under New Zealander Tony Brown.
"The big word coming out of that World Cup head-to-head was the ability to adapt. I think we prepped for a long time because we knew it was our first pool game, about what they were going to bring.
“You talk about the physicality, you talk about the line speed, the set-piece. We prepped for a lot of that stuff. But once you see it and the bullets start flying in the first 15, 20 minutes, you need to adapt little things.
“That's the biggest thing we took out of that World Cup performance, specifically with the Springbok game, being able to adapt to seeing those pictures live in person and having different tools in your tool belt to go to. And that's why we think we're a more mature team since then.”
