Matt Fagerson addresses Scotland golden age question - 'we've maybe not had that in the last 10-15 years'

As they go into a new Six Nations campaign, the forward knows they need to deliver on their potential if they are to receive the rewards their ability deserves.

Fagerson, 26, had a taste of success last season with Glasgow Warriors and believes their stunning victory over the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship final in South Africa can rub off on the national side. With 16 Warriors players in Gregor Townsend’s squad, there is a strong Glasgow flavour and the hope is that it can help them overcome the obstacles that have prevented Scotland from any meaningful success in the 25 years since the Six Nations expanded to include Italy.

He also cites the trophies won last season by Blair Kinghorn, a double winner with Toulouse, and Rory Hutchinson, who helped Northampton Saints clinch the Premiership, as evidence of growth in the national squad.

Fagerson was part of Glasgow sides which lost major finals in 2019 and 2023 and believes these occasions helped shape the character of the squad, culminating in the heady success at Loftus Versfeld in June.

“I think the biggest thing with Glasgow was trusting the process,” he said. “We had a great group of players at Glasgow and the young players who were coming through really stepped up in that year.

“They'd watched the success of getting to finals previously and just falling short. And I think having 16 Glasgow players in the [Scotland] squad that have won silverware, and you've got Blair who's won silverware with Toulouse, Hutch who's won a Prem, it's massive. It can only stand us in good stead. And when you've got that winning mentality in and around the squad, it just breeds a lot more confidence.”

For all the talent in the national set-up, there remains a sense that Scotland have underachieved. They have failed to finish in the top two in the Six Nations, never mind win the title, and have also been eliminated at the group stage of the last two Rugby World Cups.

Before the 2023 tournament in France, John Jeffrey described Townsend’s side as “the best ever Scotland team to take the field” and there remains a sense that this group of players is as talented as any of their predecessors. Asked if they felt pressure to live up to the ‘golden age’ description, Fagerson gave a measured response.

“It's a good question,” he said. “I wouldn't quite say ‘golden age’. I think we've got a very good crop of players and a group that has gelled really well over an extended period of time.

“We've maybe not had that in Scotland squads the last 10, 15 years. So it's not a pressure that I think we put on ourselves. But we know that to put these consistent games out there and go week to week, and the Six Nations is the best tournament in the world to do that.

“It's the hardest tournament in terms of backing up five games in a row. So it's a challenge that we really want to meet head on and get that consistent performance and to back up these big wins that we've had in the past.”

Consistency was Scotland’s downfall in the championship last year. After beginning the campaign with their first win over Wales in Cardiff for 22 years they were unlucky to lose at home to France when Sam Skinner’s late ‘try’ was ruled out in controversial circumstances. They then beat England, for a record-equalling fourth year in a row, before tailing off with a hugely disappointing defeat in Rome followed by a loss to champions Ireland in Dublin.

This season’s fixture list offers an early chance of revenge, with Italy up first at Murrayfield on Saturday, followed by Ireland, also at home, the following weekend.

Fagerson only has eyes for Italy at the moment and is expected to be in the back row when Townsend names his team on Thursday. He acknowledges that last season’s loss at the Stadio Olimpico “derailed” Scotland’s campaign and there is a desire to right the wrong.

“You've got to start well, and that's the first focus,” he said. “I think something we've taken from the last two or three years is to not look too far ahead and not look at the Six Nations results as a whole.

“You take it week by week and game by game. Italy are a massive test. [What] they did to us last year when we were out there was obviously very disappointing. We know the challenges ahead of us, but we definitely want to right what happened last year.

“I think you can't dwell on the past too much and it's not something that ties in to our emotion that much, but obviously, it's in the back of our minds. Losing out there is something that we were pretty disappointed with. It derailed our tournament a bit last year. So starting well with Italy at home, we're all very excited for it.”

As ever, the back-row will be a key battleground and both teams are well served with talent. Townsend’s dilemma is likely to be around choosing three from Fagerson, Rory Darge, Jamie Ritchie and Jack Dempsey, with the uncapped Jack Mann also putting his hand up for selection. Italy are similarly well stocked.

“They've got a quality back row,” said Fagerson. “They've got jacklers all over the park. [Michele] Lamaro, [Lorenzo] Cannone, [Manuel] Zuliani, they're all fantastic over the ball and they've got a wealth of depth there.

“So, yes, that'll definitely be a challenge at the weekend. It's something that we're definitely going to look at and work on in training. We've got a pretty good depth in our back row as well so hopefully it'll be a good battle there.”