Duhan van der Merwe is one of those who will be looking to “leave a legacy” as he prepares to make his 50th appearance for the United States against the United States at Murrayfield on Saturday.
“There's a lot more to give. I wouldn't say what I want to achieve as an individual, but as a team I'd probably like to look forward to international duty this autumn and win all four games,” Edinburgh United said.
“Look at the Six Nations and give it a real try. We've been talking about it over the last few years. Hopefully the day I retire I'll be able to say I won the Six Nations.”
Things look brighter for Scotland in this tournament than they did in this year's Six Nations, when the injury list reached such dire proportions that any chance of a title challenge was fatally damaged before the tournament even started.
Sione Tuipulotu, Scott Cummings, Kyle Steyn and everyone else are back, with Huw Jones the only notable absence from this autumn series.
Healthy Scottish representation on the British and Irish Lions tour in the summer – 12 Scots got a taste of the game in Australia – should also inject some new confidence into the team.
However, it has been a complicated experience for van der Merwe. After playing all three games of the 2021 Test series in South Africa, he failed to feature in Andy Farrell's matchday squad for any of the three Tests against the Kangaroos.
“It's obviously bittersweet,” the 30-year-old said.
“It's been a really special trip to be a part of. Unfortunately I didn't get to play in one of the Tests but I'll be taking it game by game and trying to get the best out of it for Scotland.
“I'm not going to look at one game in particular and say, 'You didn't pick me,' I'm going to try to play my best game. I'm just going to take it game by game to show what I can do as a player.”
Since his Test debut against Georgia in 2020, van der Merwe has shown plenty of what he can do in a Scotland jersey.
He scored a try in his first Scotland cap and went on to score 32 goals in 49 games, becoming the country's record try scorer.
A match against the United States will give him the chance to extend that record and enjoy a personal milestone that seemed impossible when he began his rugby journey in Scotland five years ago.
“It's an incredible feeling,” he said. “Five years ago, when I made my debut, I never thought I would be sitting here celebrating my 50th birthday. This is a very special moment for myself and my family.
“I came back to Edinburgh in 2017 as a fairly young player. So, against England I was the catcher who got a couple of runs and a couple of lucky tries, which kind of shows the hard work I've put in over the last few years.
“There are a lot of special memories from the last five years. I'm not getting any younger, am I? I have to make the most of what I think I have left. I have a lot to give in the next few years.”