‘Fagerson can be best Scots prop of all-time’

IT HAS already been identified as the potential weak link in Scotland’s armour. Come Saturday, there’s little doubt that the Scottish scrum, with Zander Fagerson in its ranks, will have a huge responsibility in the heat of Twickenham battle.

Provided he does not pick up a late injury, the 21-year-old will become the youngest Scotland tighthead prop ever in the Six Nations to be handed such a vital role at the home of English rugby.

England head coach Eddie Jones, as sharp tactically as he is verbally, senses an opportunity. And Fagerson can expect to feel the weight of the opposition pack bearing down on his shoulders.

The question, of course, is will he buckle?

Former Scotland prop Paul Burnell, for one, doesn’t believe so.

He had to wait until he was 24 to make his Scotland debut — and that was against England at Twickenham in 1989. It was the starting point for his illustrious career that saw the London Scottish man, along with Gary Armstrong, being the only players to be part of both the 1990 Grand Slam team and the 1999 Five Nations Championship-winning side.

The 51-year-old, who also played in three World Cups for Scotland, has been hugely impressed by the way Fagerson has taken to international rugby at such a young age to the extent that he believes he has the potential to become an all-time great.

‘England will target Zander at Twickenham — that is a certainty — but I don’t see him having a problem in dealing with that,’ said the Edinburgh-born Burnell.

‘Zander is one of the best young tighthead prospects we have ever had. To play for his club (Glasgow) as a teenager and then go on to make his Scotland debut at I think only 20 years old just shows his huge potential.

‘I have watched him in most of his matches since he started with Scotland and I am hugely impressed. He may just be 21 now, but he has a maturity about him and a quality that helps him stand out from the crowd.

‘He is as close to a perfect tighthead as I have seen in Scotland colours in recent years. That view is based on watching all the extra work he does around the park, the amount of carries and tackles he does and his all-round game.

‘He is a young man who could be one of the all-time greats of Scottish rugby.’

Burnell can understand why Jones will instruct his players to try to put intense pressure on Fagerson. However, he believes the young Scot has already picked up the experience necessary for him to withstand whatever comes his way.

‘Traditionally, playing in such an important position, where all the pressure on the scrum comes through you, it does take players a while — many years, in fact — to maybe become streetwise, as you might say, but Zander seems to have learned that side of the game very quickly,’ added Burnell.

‘I am not saying he will dominate the set-piece, but I don’t think the England scrum is as strong as the Ireland, France or the Wales one and Zander did well against all three of them, so I don’t see him as a weak link.

‘He may still be young, three or four years younger than me when I made my Scotland debut at tighthead against England at Twickenham in 1989, but that isn’t a drawback.

‘We got a 12-12 draw that year and the one thing I remember is that I learned very quickly about international rugby — even in my first match.

‘I learned how much faster it was and the technique required at the scrum. I was with Kenny Milne at hooker and David Sole at loosehead against Paul Rendall and Jeff Probyn as the England props and Brian Moore at hooker, so it was some battle.

‘Zander will be six or seven international games ahead of me before he turns up at Twickenham at the weekend, which will help him settle. Don’t get me wrong, it is a very different game playing for the Calcutta Cup and it will be tough.

‘But he will have done his homework in training and will know exactly how to cope with any pressure put on him, whether it comes from the England loosehead Joe Marler or somebody else.

‘I am sure he could play the whole game against England if required, provided he isn’t injured. He is the young man who could be the pick of our front row on Saturday.’