Sione Tuipulotu, the Australia-born Scotland captain, has revealed that touring his homeland with the British and Irish Lions this summer has been his primary focus since the start of the year. Despite a pectoral injury that sidelined him during the entire Six Nations, Tuipulotu is set to return to the Glasgow Warriors team in the coming weeks.

"I just want to take my opportunity now," Tuipulotu told BBC Scotland. "I just want to repay the coaches by jumping back in there and proving why they selected me. I feel like I'm going to be a better player than what I was when I got hurt. I'm going to be more hungry, more desperate. I'm so excited."

Tuipulotu admitted that the thought of playing for the Lions has been his driving force. "I'm not embarrassed to say that since the year started it's been all I could think about... playing well for Glasgow, for Scotland, so I could play for the Lions."

Despite initial doubts due to his injury, Tuipulotu's perseverance paid off when his name was announced for the Lions squad. "My dad was over at that time and he'll be able to tell you I was walking around the house going, 'I guess that's me'," he recalled. "I just thought that was the way that it panned out. I was playing the best rugby in my life and I got hurt. You battle your own emotions and stuff like that all the way up into selection saying, 'am I even still being considered?' and stuff like that."

The moment of selection was a euphoric experience for Tuipulotu. "But then it all, the culmination of when finally your name gets read out, I can't tell you that feeling. It's euphoria, it feels like. I just want to go out in Australia and perform in big games for such an amazing team. The Lions is rich in history and I just want to add my piece to that book."

Tuipulotu is one of eight Scots selected for the Lions tour, a testament to his resilience and dedication to the sport. His journey from injury to selection is an inspiring story of determination and passion for rugby.