'It's driving me crazy' - In-form Dave Denton still seeking first Scotland try

Scotland flanker Dave DentonImage source, SNS Group
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Dave Denton won the first of his 40 caps against Ireland in 2011

Here's a puzzler for all you rugby heads out there, a question to test your knowledge of some of the weekend's stellar number eights. We have USA's Cam Dolan, Argentina's Javier Ortega Desio, South Africa's Duane Vermeulen, England's Billy Vunipola, Ireland's CJ Stander and Scotland's man-of-the-match against Canada, Dave Denton. Of that formidable lot, who's the odd one out?

If you said Denton you'd be right. If you said he's the odd one out because he's the only one who has yet to score a try for his country then you know your stuff.

Saturday was Denton's 40th cap and, outside of front-row forwards, no other Scottish player in history has played as many Tests without scoring.

"I was expecting to be asked this question," he laughed, before recounting the moment against the Canadians when he thought his duck was about to be broken only for a home forward to cut him off by the knees with the line within reach.

"It's driving me crazy. It never used to bother me off but recently I've been in pretty good try-scoring form for my club and I just cannot do it for Scotland.

"I'd like to score a try but, you know, I'm not going to go out of a system to score, I'm not going to go rogue. What I need to do is get myself into better positions in the 22 and it'll come. It's annoying me, but it's not something that I'm going to change my game because of."

This is all something of an in-joke in the squad.

"Myself and Ryan Wilson (Scotland's other main number eight who is himself try-less after 37 Tests) get a lot of stick for this," he adds.

"Wilson actually slipped under the radar for a little bit, but then I pointed it out and said, 'hold on Wilson, you haven't scored either!' The boys give us a lot of stick, especially Barcs (John Barclay) because he's fallen over from half a metre out a few times."

'I'm starting to find that groove again'

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Highlights: Canada 10-48 Scotland

Saturday night in Canada was Denton's first start for Scotland since February 2016. He's been injured, he's been out of form.

The Denton we saw in the last World Cup, big and strong and dominant in his position, has not been spotted much in the years since.

In a search for momentum he went from Edinburgh to Bath to Worcester. He's now just signed a three-year deal with Leicester. The formidable ball-carrier of before looks to be on the way back at last.

"I can't even describe that feeling of being injured and being at home on the couch watching the Six Nations or the autumn Tests," he said. "It leaves such a sour taste in your mouth because you want to be there more than anything.

"When you're younger you don't think about it, you just go from game to game. You don't over-think things. These young guys come in and I remember being that age and there's not a single whisper of doubt in your head.

"It takes coming to terms with as you get older because there's more pressure on you on the pitch and off the pitch, there's more stuff going on. You've got to find ways to get back into that frame of mind. It probably took me a couple of years to find ways to do it. For myself, I feel like I'm starting to find that groove again."

'The World Cup was an incredible experience'

Scotland flanker Dave Denton is yet to score an international tryImage source, SNS Group
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Denton featured as a replacement in four of this year's Six Nations matches

Denton was released from the tyranny of injury this season, a campaign he describes as "massive" given the run of games he was finally able to get under his belt.

"It was pretty much two years injured," he said. "The first one was a six-month injury and what that does is destabilise your whole body so I kept picking up niggle after niggle after niggle.

"I had another year on my contract at Bath but I went to Worcester to go somewhere I could play a lot of rugby. I played 25-odd games this season and that's allowed me to get back to the situation I'm now in, to play for Scotland again."

There are two things on his mind right now - get to Welford Road and make a statement while staying in Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend's thoughts all the way to the World Cup next year.

"The World Cup in 2015 was an incredible experience," he recalls. "You don't really think about it until you're there and I remember walking out against Japan and that theme tune was playing. That was the first time I thought, 'wow, this is an incredible moment'.

"I'd love to play in another one. You can't play yourself on to the plane to Japan on this tour but you can play yourself off it. It's about consistency of performance."

A try into the bargain and we'd be talking about one deeply contented man.