Zander Fagerson is “in the shape of his life” and available to start against England on Saturday, Scotland assistant coach John Dalziel said last night.
The Glasgow Warriors tighthead has not played since the start of December but his performance in training over the past fortnight has apparently convinced the management that he should be considered for selection.
Two other players who have yet to see action this year - full-back Stuart Hogg and winger Duhan van der Merwe - are also in the running for the match at Twickenham. And openside flanker Hamish Watson, who only made his comeback for Edinburgh at the weekend after two and a half months out with concussion, has been given the green light for the Six Nations opener too.
The fact that those four senior players are all deemed good to go is a major boost for the Scotland squad, who are at a training camp in Spain this week. But the return of Fagerson is especially significant given the pivotal position in which he plays and the way in which the national team have come to rely so heavily on him in recent seasons.
“We were lucky enough that he was able to do a lot more than we had thought last week,” forwards coach Dalziel said of the Warriors prop. “This is his second week in training. He’s done absolutely everything, not been modified out of anything. He’s fit, available and I would suggest pushing for selection this weekend.
“I think back in the old days, it would be a case of you were off for two months doing nothing. Now, when there’s detail around your injury there’s a return to play which will include a return to fitness and that’s almost a pre-season in itself. There’s an argument that injured players come back probably in a better physical state than guys who have played eight or nine or ten games because they get to do gym work and conditioning.
“The break has been great. We’ve done a lot of work with Zander in terms of control and contact. I think he’s in the shape of his life. And he’s been dealing with contact over the last three, four, five weeks, which involves a lot of rugby that replicates game-type intensity. GPS tells us he’s good to go.”
In the case of Hogg, Dalziel revealed that the only reason the former captain did not turn out for Exeter in their league win against Gloucester at the weekend was because of an agreement between the Chiefs and the Scotland staff. “He was fit and available to be back last weekend, and then there was a good conversation between Exeter and ourselves around the travel, him going back to play a game and then coming back into camp, what was best for Stuart as well. We want the best out of Stuart Hogg, as do Exeter, and we’ve got to manage him right.
“He’s fit, available. And credit to Exeter, they allowed us to keep him over the weekend as well and save that travel. Good timing for us to have him back.”
Edinburgh back Van der Merwe has not only been nursing an ankle injury, but he also returned to his native South Africa late last month to get married - but he, too, is ready to play at the weekend if called upon. “100 per cent, yes,” Dalziel continued. “There’s never an easy time for rugby players to get married. He was a Worcester Warriors player at the start of the year, and this was going to be a break in their season.
“When he came back to Edinburgh everybody was fully aware, so he was given the time to be married. He cut his honeymoon short because he was so desperate to get back and be involved around this first weekend. It was a very brief trip to South Africa - married and then back in with us.”
Edinburgh coach Mike Blair admitted at the weekend that he had not planned to keep Watson on for the entire game against the Sharks but had his hand forced by injuries to other players. Nonetheless, the back-row forward stayed the pace well and, according to Dalziel, is another member of the national squad who appears to have been refreshed by his enforced break.
“He played 80-odd minutes at the weekend - a real baptism of fire for him against a hugely physical Sharks team. So he’s come through that in excellent condition. He’s training like he’s never been away. It’s such a boost to have him back.”
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