An academy player for his local club, Wasps, the lock was there when they fell into administration and soon found a new home at London Irish. Within a month, he found himself in the same position once more after their demise. But a Scotland U18 international against France in a Six Nations festival had caused interest in Moss among his opponents, and a move to a life-changing move to Montpellier began to take place.

“I got a trial at Wasps, a six-week trial. I got an email, went there, played in a couple of festivals, just friendly games. Then that got extended for another year, and then at the start of 2018, they were like ‘we want to keep you on for the under-18 season’, which was, at the time, the best thing that happened in my rugby career so far. We played the first two academy league games as Wasps, and obviously the club folded, which was pretty tragic at the time.

“I originally signed with London Irish straight after Wasps, I think probably held the world’s shortest contract, a four-week contract there, and they went under. I didn’t even get to train with the team or anything like that, I just came in, did a medical, and then next thing you know you’re a free agent again! It was actually after the Scotland U18 v France game, I got a bit of interest from a couple of French clubs, and Montpellier, I had a couple of meetings with them, and I liked the way their system was out there, they had a lot of faith in me, so I ended up making the move.”

Living in London, Moss gained the attention of Scottish Rugby’s Scottish Qualfied (SQ) Programme through a school connection.

“I was at Shiplake College and one of the teachers there had connections with the SQ Programme. In my last year of school, I chatted to my teacher, Mr Edwards, and he put me in touch with Rob Brierley.

“From there he came and watched a couple of my games, and put me in connection with Peter Walton. They got me up at U18 for the first couple of camps, and then from there we just stuck with it.”

From there, a Six Nations festival with Scotland U18 followed. Not only did it lead to his Montpellier contract, it also saw a group of players come together that have largely stuck together to form the current Scotland U20 squad.

“Looking back on it, it was great. I’ve still got great memories with all the boys. It was a great experience, I really enjoyed it.

“It made my integration process so quick and easy. It feels really weird. You come in, and it’s like you never really left. You just pick up from where you left it, and it’s cracking. The chat’s still there.”

Having made his Scotland U20 debut against Italy in the first round of the Under-20 Six Nations and featuring in every round since, Moss is determined not only to do well for himself and the team, but the Scottish side of his family that he now represents in the national arena.

“My mum’s fully Scottish, she grew up in Glasgow when she was younger. She still cries every time I sing the national anthem. I saw her at the first game, I try and not focus in on my parents, because I’m trying to focus on the game, but you can’t miss her. She comes right to the front with her camera, videoing me, she sends it to all her friends. It means a lot to them. They seem very proud and very happy that I was playing for Scotland.”

After performances against Italy, Ireland and England which showed signs of promise but ultimately didn’t meet the demands for the full 80 minutes, a dogged showing against Wales last weekend brought a first victory of the championship at Hive Stadium.

“I think it was the first time where we actually played up to our potential. We had this structure that was set really well. We had really good bits in games, but we weren’t clinical enough at times, which happens sometimes, but I think against Wales we got 95% of it right, which led to the outcome.”

Tonight, Moss will start on the bench in his new homeland against France U20, facing a culture he is becoming used to after a tough start, and players he has played with and against at club level.

“The system they play is completely different, and the culture is completely different. You could say it’s slightly laid back in some sense, but then it’s also very full on at the same time, and I’d say last year especially was a massive transition because you’ve got language barrier, different styles of play, different culture, but I’d say now I’m settled, I’ve really enjoyed it out there.

“I’ve played against a lot of them before, so it’s not as new to me, and I think I know what to expect, especially with the French system and stuff like that, but I think the big thing for going into this weekend is just focusing on our goals. I think the win couldn’t have come at a better time, because you’re going into this very tough environment, French fans, they’re mad for it, they will absolutely love it, and I think the big thing for us is coming off that win, we can go into this weekend with a lot of confidence.”