Scotland full-back Blair Kinghorn says he still has not “wrapped his head around” his move from Edinburgh to Toulouse after capping his debut for the French Top 14 outfit with a brace of tries at the weekend.

Kinghorn crossed the whitewash twice as Toulouse kicked off their Investec Champions Cup campaign with a straightforward 52-7 victory over Cardiff at Stade Ernst-Wallon. It was the perfect way for the 26-year-old to begin his career in France and says the chance to win trophies with one of Europe’s most illustrious clubs was a big factor in coming out of his “comfort zone” in Scotland.

“I still haven't really wrapped my head around it,” Kinghorn said of his move to the south of France. “There were rumours online that I was going to Toulon, but my agent was like, 'you're not going to Toulon, but Toulouse might be interested in you for this season', and from there it came about really quickly.

Blair Kinghorn scored two tries on his debut for Toulouse against Cardiff.

“I obviously want to win stuff in my career and I've not be able to do that so far, so being able to come to such a great club with such great players, having the ability to win trophies is definitely at the front of my mind. I've spent my whole career in Scotland, in Edinburgh, so there's parts of me that wanted to get out of my comfort zone a bit, experience something new, because sometimes you can get a bit comfy and maybe don't work as hard.

“Certainly moving to a new club where you don't have any reputation, to try to prove yourself again, and develop as a player, take the next step in my career. It's exciting and it's nerve-wracking. It's the first time I've been away from home, first time I've been the new kid at a club, so it's a good challenge for me I reckon. I wasn't going to move for the sake of moving, it had to be for the right club. This had fallen into my lap, so it would have been stupid not to take it. I still don't quite believe I'm here yet.”

Kinghorn, who can also play as a stand-off, plans to learn French so he can acclimatise to his new surroundings and says he would prefer to remain as a 15 until he has a command of the language. He was taken aback by the ferocity and passion of the home fans and will hope to be involved on Sunday when Toulouse continue their European campaign away to Harlequins.

“It was strange running out at the weekend in front of a packed stadium. It's insane out here, the crowd get right behind you, they do rugby properly here,” continued Kinghorn on the Rugby Union Weekly Podcast. “No time to think, straight in. Certainly thrown in at the deep end first couple of meetings. I still have no idea what's going on; some of the boys translate for me at the back. I just smile and wave. I definitely need to learn French, so I've just booked in a lesson with my teacher.

“For the first wee while, with the language barrier, it's easier for me playing at the back. They see the 10 and 15 playing similar roles here, so they're not massively different. Calling lineout and organising the attack, it's easier at the back until I've learned more of the language and the systems they want to run here. Playing behind a great back and having front-foot ball is what all backs want. The big lads deliver the momentum and then there's normally quite a lot of space for us.”

Blair Kinghorn reflects on Toulouse debut and explains move - 'they do rugby properly here'