Former Scotland flanker Hamish Watson says he is relishing a "special" derby on Saturday as Castres host Toulouse in the French Top 14 – and a possible reunion with former teammate Blair Kinghorn.
Watson, who turns 35 later this month, moved to the southwest of France this season following spells with Edinburgh and Leicester Tigers.
Full-back Kinghorn is an injury doubt for this weekend's 80km trip to Stade Pierre-Fabre for a fixture first played in 1921 in one of French rugby's fiercest rivalries.
"Hopefully he comes through and I manage to see him," Watson told AFP on Thursday of Kinghorn.
"It (the derby) has been mentioned by a few of the lads who speak English.
"They've said how special this game is and how much the fans get behind them.
"Even though we've had sold-out stadiums for the last two games, they say there's definitely a different vibe, a different buzz.
"I'm hopefully involved in it, to take it all in. It'll be a really cool experience."
Watson, who won a British and Irish Lions test cap during the 2021 tour of South Africa, headed to Castres as injury cover for former New Zealand back-rower Dalton Papali'i.
Papali'i suffered a serious Achilles injury during just his second training session with the five-time champions, forcing the club to look for a solution to fill the gap in their squad.
Watson, the 2021 player of the Six Nations, did not need much convincing.
Just 48 hours after the first contact between Castres and Watson, he had signed a contract.
"It was a lot of moving parts, it was all quite hectic," Watson said.
"Normally you get four or five months to plan these things if you sign in January.
"It was obviously an opportunity that I jumped at."
FAMILY AFFAIR
Watson has played three out of Castres's opening four games, including wins over new boys Vannes and ambitious Toulon.
Off the field, his French is improving quickly, but he is yet to taste some of his adopted country's gastronomic highlights with his family.
"I haven't tried any snails or any horse," Watson said.
"My wife and I were walking down the supermarket aisle the other day and pointed out to our daughters what was a section of horse meat, and the girls weren't too impressed.
"They like watching a lot of cartoons with horses in them.
"If I went out with a few of the French lads and they were having it, I'd be open to trying something different."
Watson made the last of his 59 Scotland appearances at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with head coach Gregor Townsend preferring younger players since then.
A year out from the 2027 World Cup, Watson holds little hope of earning a recall.
"I think the door was pretty much shut for my Scotland career, although I haven't retired," Watson said.
"Like any player, you always want your Scotland journey to go on longer.
"I thought mine would have done but it didn't and I think that's probably behind me now.
"All I'm focused on now is playing as well as I can for Castres, playing as much rugby as I can and helping them achieve their goals."