Hugo Southwell has been ruled out for up to three months after dislocating his shoulder during the first half of Scotland's 19-18 defeat to Ireland at Murrayfield on Saturday,
Rory did well when he replaced Southwell for the second half of the Ireland match, and after a series of impressive performances for Glasgow Warriors this season the 24-year-old has forced his way back into contention for a first international start since the autumn of 2005.
Then he played on the right wing against Samoa, but was forced to leave the pitch before the break with concussion.
Rory, asked about his 40-minute stint at the weekend, said: "I was obviously delighted to get half a game - I've had to wait a long time to get significant match time like that.
"But it was absolutely heartbreaking to lose. I was pretty confident with
15 minutes left in the game that we could hold on, and go on to win it.
"But as Frank [Hadden, Scotland's head coach] has already said, we didn't execute things properly and it ended up costing us the game.
"Overall I was pleased with the way I played. It wasn't perfect but I was pretty happy with the impact I made.
"There were a couple of mistakes I've got to tidy up, but I felt I ran the ball back pretty hard and caused them a few problems.
"Whether that's enough for Frank to start my at fifteen on Saturday is another question."
While Rory says he would like to be considered primarily as a full-back, Hadden has made it clear within the last month that he regards the player more as a winger.
Rory is hoping that he will be given the opportunity of Saturday to prove that he has got what it takes to play in his preferred position at international level.
He said: 'I've read about him not seeing me as a "polished 15" - I think those were his words were - but I've just got to try to prove him wrong. I've got try to show him that I can play 15.
"Obviously international level is a step up from club rugby, but I feel I've been doing a good job at Glasgow in that position, and now it's just a case of trying to prove to Frank that I can do it at international level."
Rory suffered more than his fair share of injuries during the 2005-06 season - including torn knee ligaments, severe concussion, a fractured cheekbone, a broken jaw, shin splints and an ongoing groin problem which required a double hernia operation last summer.
However, this season has been refreshingly pain free and he is now looking forward to adding to the seven Scotland caps he has already accumulated.
Rory explained: "The fact I have had my hernias fixed has made a massive difference because I can train now.
"Before I wasn't training enough, and in every game I took part in last season I was playing with an injury."
Rory also feels that he has reached a level of maturity which has given him the self-belief to really push for a place in the Scotland team at full-back.
He added: "The more you play, the easier things get, and I feel my game has improved a massive amount.
"Looking at my stats this season - I'm breaking more tackles and making more line breaks than I ever was.
"The stats were good before but now I am really pleased with what I'm doing.
"The key thing is positioning, and as you spend more time at full-back you learn more about where you should be.
"In the first few games you play there you are a bit nervous, and you probably end up running a lot more than you need to because you are worried about being in the right place, so you can wear yourself out if you don't know what you are doing.
"But I feel a lot more comfortable there now than I did before - and it feels a lot more natural to me."