The Harlequins’ scrum-half was drafted on in the second half and played his part in the Scots’ 14-10 win and the Doddie Weir Cup at Llanelli.
Steele said: “It was nerve-racking coming on in such a tight and important game, but I managed to get by with no errors, so I was happy with that.”
It has been a remarkable turnaround for the 27-year-old who was released by London Irish after six seasons of service during the summer.
His exit turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Harlequins picked him up as a free agent and his form for the Premiership club since the rugby resumed earned him a call-up to Gregor Townsend’s squad, only a few short months since his release.
Steele said: “It was a pretty stressful time and as time went on I was just hoping that something was going to come up, I was at a real crossroads over where and if there was anything going to come up and what level will that be at.
“Luckily there was an opportunity at Harlequins that came up. It was just through their third choice 9 deciding that he didn’t fancy rugby anymore and wanted to retire, so that opportunity came and I took it with both hands and went there and it’s been really good.
“When I was coming into camp I was thinking it has just been a really crazy couple of months for me. I think the main thing is that I managed to keep fit and came back in better shape than I was before lockdown.
- Photo: Scottish Rugby
