Kelly Brown, Scotland’s captain, says he never considered quitting international rugby after being dropped by coach Scott Johnson.
The Saracens flanker has played just 56 minutes of this season's Six Nations after he was axed from the Scotland side for his part in their miserable 28-6 defeat to Ireland at Dublin that kicked off their tournament.
He was spared further humiliation as he sat out the 20-0 drubbing by England but also was absent for the last-gasp victory over Italy at Rome two weeks ago as Glasgow's Chris Fusaro was chosen to start at No 7, instead.
But Brown, 31, has been restored to both the starting side and the captaincy by Johnson for Saturday’s Murrayfield clash with France.
Johnson said before the Calcutta Cup catastrophe that he feared Brown would walk away from Test rugby after his snub, but the Scotland skipper insisted the thought never crossed his mind.
Asked if he considered retiring from national duty, Brown said: “No. It’s as simple as that. Playing for Scotland is something I used to dream of as a child and it’s a very, very special honour.
“I know that, in professional sport, the road is not always smooth, and so I just saw it as one more challenge that I was looking forward to overcoming.”
Brown was sent back to London by Johnson and told that he would need to brush up on the defensive aspects of his game with his Saracens colleagues if he wanted to win back his place.
Just four weeks after he was left out of the England clash – a move that was criticised by pundits and former players – he apparently has shown enough to merit a reprieve.
The captain, who reclaimed the leadership duties from understudy Greig Laidlaw, said he did not always agree with the Australian Johnson’s assessment of his abilities but has worked hard to win him over.
“There is no doubt I was very disappointed, because I absolutely love playing for Scotland and it is something I would never take for granted,” Brown said. “But it is fantastic to be back in the side.
“Scott has been very open and honest with me the whole way through, and we’ve had good chats. That’s not to say we always agree, but I think as long as we’re both open and honest with each other then that’s a good thing.”
Elsewhere, the Wales coach Warren Gatland has recalled the centre Jonathan Davies after a four-month absence from Test rugby for Sunday's Six Nations clash against title rivals England at Twickenham.
Davies, 25, has seen just 105 minutes of competitive action for his country since suffering a torn pectoral muscle during Wales’s opening autumn series defeat by South Africa on November 9.
However, the star performer in the British & Irish Lions’ Test series triumph against Australia last summer has recovered and returns to resume his powerful midfield partnership with Jamie Roberts.
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