Despite the distractions of last autumn's World Cup and a series of niggling injuries, Rory Lamont's debut season at Sale has, so far, been a case of full steam ahead.
Having arrived along with compatriot Scott Lawson at Edgeley Park from Glasgow Warriors last summer, the 25-year-old was forced to wait until Scotland's departure from the World Cup stage in late October before making his domestic bow.
But he has more than made up for lost time.
A debut try against Saracens gave the Sharks faithful a taste of what was to come, with the affable native of Perth going on to score eight tries in his eight outings.
That's despite the stop-start nature of a campaign that has seen the winger/full-back forced onto the sidelines twice due to a painful rib injury.
Following in the jet-heeled wake of the likes Jason Robinson, Mark Cueto and all-time top Premiership try-scorer Steve Hanley, Lamont is upholding the Sharks' proud tradition of thrilling wingers.
Absent
And though he will be absent for the next six weeks because of international duty, Lamont has already made a compelling case to be considered Sale's most impressive signing of the season.
"It's been a good start for me and getting on the score-sheet so often has been pleasing but when you have got players as good as my team-mates you are always going to get plenty of ball and try-scoring opportunities," said Lamont.
"It was an interesting first month or so for me, as I'd had hardly any time to draw breath from the World Cup. I got back on the Monday, was straight into training on the Tuesday, I didn't know the area, I was trying to find a place to live, I was learning players' names, learning moves so there was an awful lot of information to take in.
"You could say it was a case of being chucked in at the deep end and having to learn to swim straight away, but after those few weeks I soon began to feel pretty comfortable.
"It helped that when I first arrived and looked round the dressing room, all I saw was a host of star names who have been on top of their game for many years, who have played countless internationals and been world stars.
"To come and play alongside them has been a privilege and, hopefully, I'll be able to learn a fair bit from them as well.
Competition
"When I was playing in Scotland, I watched Sale on TV over the years and there were only a couple of teams that could have tempted me down from Glasgow and Sale was one of them.
"Plus there's so much competition for places, just in the back three, you know, you're very lucky if you just get a start. So the pressure is on and you have got to perform in every game otherwise someone will take your place."
That burning desire to wrench himself out of the comfort zone of playing in the Magners League was the main inspiration behind Lamont's decision to move south of the border.
A superb individual World Cup, where he was deployed at full-back, helped cap a superb 2007 at international level for Lamont and led to him being named Scotland's Player-of-the-Year.
But rather than rest on his laurels, an inner desire to better himself and sample life in the Northern Hemisphere's most competitive league, led him to hit the high road down the M6 to Cheshire.
"It was a difficult decision coming down here but I figured the thought of having plenty of competition and the chance to learn from some great team-mates would help push me forward and makes me aspire to try and be the best that I can be," Lamont revealed.
"I've come down here to improve as a player and play top level rugby and to win competitions. Plus the chance to work under Philippe Saint-Andre was also a big factor.
"The coaches in Scotland were great but I felt it was time for me to learn some more and to take the next step, so to work with Philippe, who was a world-class winger and who knows the game so well, was a massive factor.
"There are plenty of weaknesses to my game that I want to eradicate so that I can become a more rounded player.
"It also helped that I wasn't alone in making the move. Scott Lawson has gone through exactly the same thing. We left the same club, we were at the World Cup with Scotland together and arrived at Sale on the same day.
Massive
"So it was nice to be able to share the experience with someone and talk to them about it. It was a massive help and a bit of a security blanket too as I didn't feel too isolated.
"The weather is pretty similar to that in Scotland! Maybe Glasgow was a wee bit wetter but not much.
"And because I've been so busy with rugby there haven't really been too many opportunities so far to get out and about into places like Manchester.
"But I'm living in Hale which is a really nice part of the world.
"They are great set of lads here at Sale and I honestly think that this squad has the talent to win the Premiership."
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