Blair Kinghorn now ready for Scotland selection according to Richard Cockerill

After going on the record three months ago to say that he believed Blair Kinghorn was not yet ready for international rugby, Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill has been converted to his full-back’s cause after a series of outstanding performances from the youngster for the club.

Following Edinburgh’s dramatic victory over Stade Francais – when they came from behind three times at Murrayfield to secure a home Challenge Cup quarter-final, with a 78th-minute conversion from the 20-year-old sealing the 34-33 win – Cockerill admitted that he had changed his mind regarding Kinghorn’s suitability for the Test arena.

“He’s making good decisions,” said Cockerill, when asked whether he believed Kinghorn will be included in the Scotland squad that is announced on Tuesday.

“Against Stade, he wasn’t making the line breaks he has in the last few weeks because of the quality of the opposition, but he was sound under the high ball, he carried hard, looked after the ball, and there were no errors in his game.

“For me, that shows he’s maturing, he’s listening and he’s working hard at his game. If that’s in Cardiff against Wales, you’re not making errors and you’re sound, and you’re still a threat with ball in hand, then suddenly it  is different.

“Some people learn quickly and some people learn a bit slower. To be fair to Blair, he’s listened, he’s worked hard and the penny has dropped quicker than it has done before.”

Against Stade Francais, Kinghorn was such a constant threat with ball in hand that the Top 14 side stopped kicking long, to remove the 6ft 5in full-back’s ability to counter-attack.

But it was Kinghorn’s growing maturity in defence, and his more sure-footed selection of options – which did not include the lapses in concentration or the crazy offloads which regularly punctuated his  game last season – which really  caught the eye.

Although Stuart Hogg is due to appear for Glasgow at home against Exeter Chiefs next week, he has yet to play since the hip injury which he sustained against New Zealand kept him out of the autumn international against Australia.

Kinghorn, who turns 21 on Thursday, refused to be drawn on his hopes for a call-up to the Scotland squad selected by Gregor Townsend, preferring to focus on developing his game rather than setting public goals.

“I’m not sure if any of us have given ourselves a boost [for Scotland],” he said when asked about his prospects. “I am just focusing week to week on my stuff. I’m reviewing each week as  it comes and also taking each week as it comes.”

Asked why he believed his game had improved so noticeably during this season, Kinghorn paid tribute to the Cockerill mantra about working hard on the training field so that transferring those skills to the match-day arena becomes second nature.

“It’s decision-making under pressure, knowing you can execute skills under pressure – and if it’s not on, backing your team-mates to be there to help you out,” he said. “The main thing you’ve got to do is stick with your gut instinct.

“I’m working harder on all aspects of my game, trying to cut out the errors. I’m trying to be a bit more consistent week to week, and hopefully that consistency will keep getting better.”