Australia are set to be reacquainted with a refreshed and dangerous Hamish Watson, voted the best player in this year's Six Nations Championship, when the flanker spearheads Scotland's bid to down the Wallabies at Murrayfield this weekend.
Flanker Watson is still hailed in Scotland for finishing off a brilliant winning try in the Scots' 24-19 win over Australia in Sydney four years ago.
Catch all the action in the Spring Tour on Stan Sport. Start your Free Sport Trial Now
Now he feels more confident about his team's chances of a repeat following his own experience with the British & Irish Lions in South Africa and reckons he's going into Sunday's action fully refreshed after a chance to rest a lingering injury.
Watson was one of eight Scots in the Lions' summer tour but only featured in one Test, coming off the bench in the opening win against the world champions.
But he made five appearances in all and left the tour with the belief that Scotland have a group of players to match any other in the home nations.
Having been named the Six Nations player of the tournament earlier in the year, the 30-year-old could not have done much more to convince Lions' coach Warren Gatland of his worth.
READ MORE:
BROTHERHOOD: Beale excited by Wallabies culture
RELEASE THE HOUNDS: Reds bring in attack dogs
FRESH SIDE: AB's rest stars
Asked about his lack of Test minutes, the flanker said: "It's a weird one, I have tried to move on from there now, that's three months ago. But I look back on the Lions tour with fond memories. I really enjoyed my time out there.
"I would obviously have like to have played more but in the last few years I did everything I could to get selected for that tour and performance wise and training wise.
"So I have no regrets from it and different coaches like different things, and one different thing sometimes and that's the way professional sport goes.
"I still look back on that tour and had a really good time. You are probably a better player without knowing it.
"The Scottish boys got a lot of confidence from that tour coming back and realising how good our group is as well."
Watson made his first appearance of the season in last weekend's emphatic win over Tonga, coming off at halftime as planned.
"My groin has been bothering me for a while so it was great to get some time off after the Lions tour and have a good bit of a rehab block as well," he said.
