As Scotland coach Gregor Townsend reeled off a list of rivals who are capable of moving back and playing in the back-row it almost seemed as if that the specialist lock could be in danger of becoming an endangered species.

Sam Skinner, Blade Thomson, Rob Harley, Tim Swinson, Lewis Carmichael… it seemed an extensive list, not least in the context of only 31 players being able to be selected for a World Cup squad.

However, even after being left out of the match 23 last weekend, with Skinner dropping back to blindside flanker while providing boiler-house cover, allowing the management to include two back-row specialists - Jamie Ritchie and Josh Strauss – on the bench, former Scotland captain Grant Gilchrist does not believe it is time for him, Edinburgh partner Ben Toolis and Jonny Gray – who started together against both Wales and Fiji - and for that matter, Gray’s older brother Richie to be panicking just yet.

“I’ve only moved to six once my whole career so I’d call myself an out-and-out lock,” he acknowledged.

“It’s great that other guys have the ability to move between the two but I’ll just be the best lock I can be and that’s the best thing I can do because I don’t think six is going to be an option for me.

“I always concentrate on if you’re playing your best rugby then you’ll be selected on your merits. If you’re playing better in the second row than someone who is a second row/six then you’ll get picked. Maybe second row/six is good for a bench spot, (but) it’s not something I worry about.”

Whereas it was something of a problem position for Scotland in previous eras, having to compete vigorously for a place in the squad is something Gilchrist has been used to, even since the heady days of being selected as Scotland captain when still only 23 during Vern Cotter’s first tour of duty.

“To be fair, in Scottish rugby we always seem to have a depth of second rows,” he observed.

“From the first time I was involved in the squad until now, it’s always been highly competitive and I’m a firm believe that’s makes everybody better. It makes me better, it makes the other guys better and I thrive off that.

“I think it’s a really good thing for all of us. It’s not a good thing when you’re not playing, but you’ve got to take that on the chin and work harder and when you do get your chance there’s pressure on you to perform because there are other guys there who are desperate for it and when you’re not involved you want to try to get that back.”

Ahead of what is the last Test before a World Cup year gets underway it would seem that there should be an increasing sense of urgency for a player who could read a lot into the fact that he has started just one match in this autumn series, against by far the weakest opponents, in terms of his current place in the pecking order.

However, the fact that he was chosen to lead the side into the autumn campaign later in 2014, before suffering the first of a string of major injuries when he broke his arm before the first of those Tests, perhaps informs Gilchrist’s decision not to look too far ahead and simply appreciate every opportunity that comes in his way.

“For me playing for Scotland is the best thing you can do in your career, so regardless of the World Cup, I just want to play for Scotland and that’s as big a carrot as you can ever put in front of me,” he said.

“To play in a World Cup is amazing, but for me it seems a long way away. Obviously when it comes round you’ll be fighting tooth and nail to get in that squad but for now there’s a lot of rugby to be played before than and I’ve just got to concentrate on playing week to week.

“All we’re concentrating on is Argentina and making sure we put a performance out there that we can be proud of and that can get us the result we really want to end the series.

Gilchrist was part of the starting XV when Scotland claimed a convincing victory over Argentina’s Pumas last summer, running out 44-15 winners in Resistencia and, as he acknowledged, surprising themselves in doing so as easily as they did, but as one of those who seem likely to be involved this time around, he knows it will be different this weekend.

“The game in the summer wasn’t the type of game that we expected. I think it was just an off day from Argentina,” he said.

“They’re a strong side and the difference from the team that we played in the summer is drastic. “They’ve improved a lot since then and as you’ve seen over the past few weeks and in the Rugby Championship, they’re a very dangerous side and we’re going to have to be as good as we’ve played across the whole of the autumn series to make sure we get the victory.They haven’t changed drastically in their style of play since then. Just their performances across the board have been stronger and stronger. You can still see it’s the same team, but they’ve definitely picked up their levels and got some good results.”