The Scots pack blew a fuse against Samoa in the opening match of the Castle Lager Series in Durban last weekend, losing 27-17 in a ferociously physical game.
By then, Welsh was already making his way to South Africa, a late call-up to the squad after his Glasgow Warriors pal Ryan Grant had been asked to join the Lions in Australia.
Now, with Geoff Cross heading home with a shoulder injury and Euan Murray struggling with a hamstring problem, Welsh looks certain to get some game time when Scotland go up against the Boks in Nelspruit.
Head coach Scott Johnson moved to shore up his front row options by calling up new Warriors signing Fraser Brown – who has never started a professional game and played only four matches off the bench – and revealed captain Kelly Brown has been ruled out of the remainder of the tour with an ankle knock, delaying his team announcement until tomorrow.
“Hopefully I will get my opportunity out here in South Africa,” said 26-year-old Welsh, who served his time as a spark before turning to full-time rugby four years ago.
“When you get an opportunity you need to take it. I would like to play now and show what I can do.”
Welsh made a dramatic entrance onto the international stage against Italy last year.
He had only gone to Rome as travelling reserve, but when Allan ‘Chunk’ Jacobsen crocked himself in the warm-up, Welsh was told he was playing!
Most fans reckoned he was one of Scotland’s best players that day, especially the way he stood up against Italy legend Martin Castrogiovanni in the scrum.
On Saturday he could be up against another of the most feared props in the game – South Africa giant Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira.
“If you want to get to the top you need to play the best,” said Welsh firmly. “It will be a massive challenge, but one I still hope to get. It doesn’t hold any fears. To get to international level you have had to hone your craft at club level against talented players, which I’ve done. I’ve got no fears of anyone.”
Welsh was expected to kick on and grab a lot more caps after his impressive start against Italy.
But he suffered a serious shoulder injury on Scotland’s tour to Australia last year and was out for seven months. Welsh said: “It was really frustrating and disappointing after I had just got my cap, but that is what happens in rugby sometimes.
“It was a pretty bad dislocation. It didn’t hurt too badly when it happened, but it was a different story when I got back to Scotland and had to have an operation.
“I came home straight after the operation, when maybe I should have stayed in hospital for another day. When the drugs started to wear off it was just agony.”
Welsh got back into action with the Warriors in February after getting himself match-fit by playing a few games for Stirling County.
Unlike some top players, he’s always happy to do a shift at that level. Welsh started out at Whitecraigs, his local club, and has also played for GHA and West of Scotland along the way.
And he never forgets his rugby roots even when he’s about to play against one of the best teams in the world.
“I could probably tell you the names of all the coaches I’ve had down the years from when I started playing rugby as a 12-year-old,” he said.
“At Whitecraigs there were three guys – Billy Beattie, John Hamilton and Ian Anderson – who organised everything and taught me that rugby was really fun.
“When I was 18 I went to GHA because they were at a higher level and they have a great reputation for producing props.
“Walter Malcolm was the forwards coach at GHA at the time. He helped me massively. He’s been brilliant all the way through my career and I still talk with him a lot. As soon as it was announced I was coming here, I got a text from Walter straight away.”
Fully charged Welsh is set to plug straight in
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