Chris Cusiter Scotland scrum-half

After getting the chance to start my first game of the championship, it was hugely frustrating to have to come off after just eight minutes through injury.

I thought I was going to get the ball, but it took a deflection and I think I slipped. I just stuck out my shoulder and I took a big hit.

It felt strange. It felt like my muscle was in spasm. I've had plenty of stingers before, but I tried to run it off and I realised I couldn't pass off my right side.

It was really frustrating because a similar thing happened last autumn when I got a start against New Zealand and I damaged ligaments in my knee after just 20 minutes.

It is pretty bad luck because you usually get loads of bumps during a game and you're fine afterwards.

I was able to watch the game from the bench with ice on my shoulder, but there's a fair bit of bruising so I think I might have torn a muscle.

Coach Frank Hadden with match-winner Chris Paterson

Putting aside my personal woes, it was good for the team to get the win and although we didn't play as well as we can, we did enough to beat Italy.

It's a big step forward getting that away win (Scotland's first for four years) and that was what we were aiming for all week.

It was a good way to round off the championship. We feel we've done ourselves justice and proved a few people wrong.

The good thing is that we feel we didn't reach our full potential and although we're all going back to our clubs now, everyone's already excited about meeting up again for the Barbarians game and the tour of South Africa.

These tours have a very different atmosphere to the Six Nations, and I've enjoyed those that I've been a part of in the past.

The Tests there will be really tough and will help us to continue to improve for the World Cup in just over a year's time.

Things haven't really gone my way this season on the international front, but I just have to put the disappointment behind me.

I'll concentrate on getting fit again and, if anything, this season's experiences have only made me more eager to prove myself.