ZANDER TOUGH ENOUGH TO TACKLE TONGA
ZANDER FAGERSON insists he and his Scotland team-mates are up for the physical test they will face against Tonga at BT Murrayfield on Saturday. Gregor Townsend’s men take on the Pacific Islanders this weekend as they kick off their Autumn Test schedule but the Glasgow Warrior is not one for shirking the challenge. ‘Every Tongan I’ve met, they’re not small human beings — and they like physical rugby,’ he said. ‘It’s definitely up my street. With all the Pacific Islander teams, you know they’re going to bring very direct running routes. ‘They all have big players who, if you run straight at them, they’re going to smoke you, you know? So it’s going to be a tough challenge. ‘We recently had Walter Fifita come to Glasgow, a really good guy — but he’s a mutant! He was saying he hoped to see me next week. And they’re all that size. He’s a winger and he’s bigger than me.’ Fagerson, who had limited game time on the Lions tour of South Africa, insists a keen sense of perspective helps him deal with the ups and downs of a career in professional sport. Admitting that he had sought help for the ‘psychological side’ of his game following some tough experiences at the 2019 Rugby World
Cup, the 25-year-old explained: ‘For me, it just gave me a bit more clarity. It’s about not putting so much pressure on myself. ‘But being a dad now and having my family, I’m still a rugby player and it is really important — but it is not going to define who I am.’ Townsend has lost Mark Bennett and Fraser Brown to injury, with Edinburgh duo Dave Cherry and Magnus Bradbury being added to the squad.