Dave Cherry has vowed to savour every brief moment of his Scotland career.
The Edinburgh hooker knows he may not have long on the international stage after winning his first cap at the age of 30.
And he has vowed to squeeze the most out of every opportunity he gets.
Cherry – who made his Test debut off the bench in last month's historic Twickenham win and won another cap in the defeat to Wales – said: "I think it is the same no matter who you are.
"You never know if it is going to be your last game or not, so that's how I've always treated every game, and I'll continue to do that for however long my career goes.
"So, for me, it is about savouring the opportunity, and unfortunately 80 minutes goes too quickly.
"The step up from club to international rugby was definitely tough on the learning front – things change from week to week – but I've absolutely loved it and dove head-first in at the deep end.
"I think it has gone pretty well the first two games. There is always things that can be better. But I'm absolutely loving it."
Scotland's Guinness Six Nations campaign was knocked off track as they threw away victory against Wales and have been left playing catch-up following the postponement of their trip to Paris.
And Cherry admits his team will need to front up physically if they want to kick-start their campaign when they take on an Ireland side they have beaten just once in their last 10 meetings.
An unforgettable first cap. 🏴#AsOne pic.twitter.com/eRVrLCAZcw — Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) February 6, 2021
He said: "The postponed game hasn't really affected me at all. I just went back to my club, although that game with Edinburgh was cancelled too.
"It is now in the past and it is about focussing purely on Ireland this weekend.
"The players can't get caught-up in those sorts of conversations – we let management and the people above take care of that while we just concentrate on the playing.
"To be fair to Ireland, they've gone well in the provinces, so they carry that into the international scene.
"They've got a really physical game and we've simply got to match it and better it if we want to win – and that's really the bottom line.
"We are aware of the privilege, the responsibility and the good fortune that we're allowed to continue through this time." Gregor Townsend talks to us ahead of Sunday's #GuinnessSixNations match against Ireland at BT Murrayfield. Read more ⤵ — Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) March 10, 2021
"It is something you've got to think about before every game. Whether it is club or international, it is a physical game, especially as a forward.
"I've learned a lot during the short time I've been here and it is now just about getting things right for the weekend, so I'm working as hard as I can to do that.
"For me, this Scotland camp is a hugely positive environment to come into. Everyone is working hard together, for each other, there is a real squad mentality – and I think that has shown in our games.
"Obviously, Wales didn't go our way, but we were still in it at the end even though we'd had the red card, so I think Scotland are in a great place just now."
