BEN Hinshelwood has undoubtedly been one of Worcester Rugby Club's success stories over the past year.

Since his Sixways arrival at the beginning of last season, he has made a massive contribution to the progress of Worcester and took great pleasure in Saturday's rise to the top of the National One summit.

Club achievement has been followed by international recognition and, after a summer tour with Scotland to Canada and North America, Hinshelwood stands by to make his first Murrayfield appearance on Saturday against Romania.

"It is a little bit of a cliche but it would be a dream come true if it happens," he said during his training week with Ian McGeechan's squad.

The centre-cum-full back was a revelation last season at Sixways and has continued to develop as a player under the tutelage of Andy Keast and John Brain. Hinshelwood has not only played inside as well as outside centre, he has taken the touch kicking duties on his shoulders to make him the most flexible player at the club.

With success, however, there is always a price to pay and Hinshelwood is well aware of a forthcoming fixture which may well be missed because of his international commitment.

Saturday's clash with Romania is part of a three-match series which ends with a November 24 game with Fiji. If selected, Hinshelwood would be ruled out of Worcester's title showdown at Rotherham 24 hours earlier, a fact not lost on the 25-year-old.

"The Rotherham match is the one we are all focused on," he added.

"It would definitely be a blow to miss out on that one but it's not really in my hands. In a way it's a win-win situation for me because if I'm not involved for Worcester then I'll be playing for Scotland so you cannot really complain at that!"

His Scotland experience has come directly from Keast's promise to get him involved if he stayed at Sixways in the summer. The former British Lions coach knows McGeechan well and recommended Hinshelwood for the summer tour after the ex-Bedford Blue decided to stick with Worcester and sign a new contract.

"There was speculation over my future," he said. "There was a bit of Premiership interest and a chance to move into Scottish rugby but I felt I owed Worcester more than that. The coaches had given me a chance and helped me a lot so it would have been very ungrateful of me to just jump ship at the earliest opportunity.

"Andy Keast said he would help me get further into the Scotland set up and he kept his word. I don't think Scotland were thinking about me before Andy had a word with Ian so it has been a real bonus for me. I have a lot to thank Andy for and my decision to stay has been fully justified because here I am in the Scotland squad. Things are going very well at the moment at Worcester and with Scotland but you have to keep your feet on the ground because if you take your eye off the ball, things can change around quickly."

With that in mind, Hinshelwood has consulted former Scotland legend Craig Chalmers over his international career to extract some words of wisdom.

"It sounds simple but he makes it clear to make the most of every opportunity and to keep on working and improving. Things are never certain in sport and I'm certainly taking nothing for granted. I think Scotland see me as a utility player at the moment so it's up to me to show them just what I am capable of."