Webster has not been out for as long as the Scotland captain, but a couple of slow-mending ankle injuries meant last season was horribly disrupted for the Edinburgh player.

He has not featured in the national team since playing five minutes at the end of Scotland's solitary Six Nations victory over Wales in February but is ready to return against Ireland on Saturday.

"It was a frustrating time," said the 26-year-old. "I hate missing out on anything when it comes to rugby, and the nature of the injury meant that it was hard to set a target date for my comeback.

"I felt as if I'd had a good start to the season, and I was really on top of my game when the autumn internationals came along.

"Against Romania I ran my socks off all day but it just didn't happen for me, the next week against the Pacific Islanders I actually felt as if I had played pretty well and the first 10 minutes against Australia were great - but then I picked up the first ankle injury which hit for me for six.

"I missed two and a half months then came back for Edinburgh against Connacht and I felt really sharp that night. A fortnight later I played against Wales for five minutes as a replacement and really felt as if I was ready to kick-on and get myself back in the frame for a starting spot, so the next week I went with Edinburgh over to Leinster to get some game time there.

"That was when I did my other ankle, which was devastating.
"It was almost exactly the same injury but on my other ankle. I was running and just as I was about to pick my foot off the floor the tackler landed on my ankle with all his body weight.

"In 20 years of playing I have never been tackled like that once, then for it to happen twice in quick succession is just so unlucky."