3 hours ago
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Given he hasn’t played any competitive rugby in seven months, the hope that Zander Fagerson could get himself fit in time for the autumn internationals always felt like a long shot.
Fagerson has been out of action since early April with a combination of calf and knee injuries which forced his withdrawal from the British and Irish Lions squad in the summer.
Whatever chance he had of playing a meaningful role in this current series at Murrayfield probably hinged on him getting some minutes under his belt against the USA last weekend.
The noises coming out of the Scotland camp are not overly positive in terms of his availability to face New Zealand on Saturday.
It would actually be grossly unfair on Fagerson to pitch him back into a Test match against a team like the All Blacks after such a prolonged period on the sidelines.
What it has done, however, is put Scotland’s tighthead crisis sharply into focus. With a real lack of depth beyond Fagerson, the chickens are now coming home to roost.
The noises coming out of Scotland camp about Zander Fagerson, above, being able to face All Blacks are not positive
Zander Fagerson, far right, enjoys a light-hearted moment at training with Sione Tuipulotu and Max Williamson ahead of clash with New Zealand
Fagerson will be badly missed if he doesn't make the game at Murrayfield on Saturday but it would be unfair to risk him in any case
He has been a machine for Scotland these past few years. He starts every game when fit and often goes close to playing the full 80 minutes, way beyond the mark when other front-rowers have been replaced.
Fagerson has had the jersey under lock and key. Likewise WP Nel before him, another brilliant player for Scotland over a long period.
Everyone could see what was coming, though. It was only Fagerson’s super-human fitness and consistency that masked the lack of tightheads behind him for so long.
It’s far and away the most problematic position of all in terms of the SRU failing to develop young talent ready to play at Test level.
Fagerson will be 30 by the time the Six Nations starts next year. These little knocks will add up. Muscle strains will take longer to heal.
D’Arcy Rae could well feature against the All Blacks. Other options are Fin Richardson, Elliot Millar Mills and Murphy Walker.
No harm to any of those lads. If they play on Saturday, good luck to them. But the drop-off in quality from Fagerson to the rest is frightening.
The last thing they should be doing is rushing him back to play against New Zealand. Given his irreplaceable value, Scotland and Glasgow Warriors need to build him back up gradually.
Going into a Six Nations campaign without him wouldn’t really bear thinking about if he were to suffer any kind of setback.
