The 28-year-old centre was born in Australia and played for their Under 20s side before becoming Scotland captain thanks to having a grandmother from Greenock and he admitted he felt like an outsider when he first pulled on the navy jersey.

He told Rugby World magazine: “Genuinely in those early days, just to be completely transparent, you have that feeling of, ‘Am I part of this?’

“I always feel like talking about it is one thing, but showing people how much it means to you with how I play and how I speak (is another).”

Sione’s grandma came to see him in action last autumn and he thinks that made him more “authentic” in the eyes of fans.

He said: “When my gran came over before the Australia game, it allowed the public to put a face to the story, listen to how much it meant to her.

“I think that gave eyes to the public that my story is authentic.

“Of course, you get those feelings that you want to prove ourself and the best way is on the field to show your commitment that way.”

The sportsman insisted people are largely positive about his contribution to the Scottish game so he doesn’t worry about any negativity.

He said: “I think when I play rugby, I play better when there’s a chip on my shoulder. That is how I play rugby.

“All of that just adds to that.

“I’ve been nothing but embraced by the Scottish public since I’ve been playing for Scotland.

“There are always going to be a couple of (negative) people, like there are for some of the Irish boys. But I take that in my stride because I don’t blame those people either.”