For Scotland fans, the wait was finally over this afternoon as Vern Cotter's men got their Rugby World Cup campaign underway having had to watch from afar during the opening days of the tournament.
However, while the 18-day gap since their last warm-up match may have tested the patience of fans and players eager to embark on the biggest stage in the sport, the wait for back-row forward Josh Strauss has been significantly longer.
The South African-born flanker will turn 29 in exactly a month, but despite garnering plenty of praise for his performances at club level, he never earned an international call-up for the Springboks.
However, having spent three years with the Glasgow Warriors, Strauss was controversially included by Cotter for this summer's World Cup, despite not being eligible to play for the country when the Scotland squad was announced.
He became free to play the day after the opening ceremony, however, and Wednesday's match against Japan saw him make his much-anticipated debut off the bench for his adopted country.
After the match, which Scotland won 45-10 courtesy of five unanswered tries in the second half, Strauss spoke to Sports Mole about the performance, where the game was won and lost, and how it felt to finally grace the international stage.
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What are your thoughts on how that match went?
"Very happy with the result. Coming into the game we knew it was going to be tough. I don't think the score was a true reflection of the game. Japan played really well, especially the bit that I was on. I can't speak for everyone else but the general consensus is that they put us under a lot of pressure.
"They are a very good attacking team, but we soaked the pressure and took our chances when we got the turnover. We did well, but they played really well as well."
Japan only had a four-day turnaround after their famous victory over South Africa on Saturday - was their fatigue the difference in the second half or was it something else?
"I think just taking our chances. Like I say, they attacked well but we soaked all the pressure. I think when we got those turnovers it was about being clinical.
"We've got a lot of great players in the backline, and we took the chances we had. [There was] individual brilliance, but it takes a team effort on defence as you soak up all the pressure and get the turnover."
How special was it to finally win your first international cap?
"I was saying earlier that I've been in the game for a while. I'm actually a lot older than I look! You never know if you're getting on when you're on the bench, but when I got the tap on the shoulder to get ready there were butterflies and nerves.
"There have been a bit of nerves the last few days getting all the plays down, but it was a great feeling to get on and even more special when you win like that."
Did you feel comfortable at this level during your time on the field?
"It was good. Every level you play at, the progression you make is always a step up - the pace, the physicality. I was actually blowing after the first five, 10 minutes because you don't get that second wind when you come off the bench.
"It was good, and I think it's also good to get some experience at this level. It gets me ready for what I'm up against for the next few weeks. Now it's just about recovery.
"Obviously we've got a short turnaround so we want to recover well and do everything we can to be in the best place to take on the USA [on Sunday] and just take every hurdle as it comes."
Scotland, who top Pool B as a result of their victory, take on USA, South Africa and Samoa in their final three group games.
Barney Corkhill
