Glasgow Warriors back-rower Matt Fagerson says he won’t be drawn into any individual battles during his team’s next two games, but he does concede that the match-up between back-rows in this year’s festive season 1872 Cup double-header is set to be an especially intriguing sub-plot.
Jamie Ritchie and Luke Crosbie’s excellent breakdown work has been key to Edinburgh’s promising start to this season’s Champions Cup in recent weeks, which has helped take the sting out of Hamish Watson’s continued absence following multiple concussions inside a relatively short period of time. And Fijian No 8 Viliame Mata is now back close to his free-wheeling best after missing most of last season with a knee injury.
Meanwhile, Fagerson was at blindside flanker during last weekend’s win over Perpignan, forming a powerful breakaway triumvirate alongside fellow Scotland cap Jack Dempsey at No 8 and Tongan international Sione Vailanu at openside.
“If you get too tied into the individuals you’re playing against, you detract from your own game and the way we want to play,” said Fagerson. “But they obviously have some quality in there, and I know them well having played with and against them for a number of years, but we’re just going to focus on what we do well and hopefully put that forward.
“The back-row is something we’ve really developed over the last few years,” added the 24-year-old. “You’ve got a lot of young guys coming through, and the additions of Jack and Sione have been huge for us.
“They add a different dynamic to the game. As you saw against Perpignan last weekend, Sione can break tackles left, right and centre, and Jack has done that for the last two seasons as well.
“We all like to get on the ball, we all like to make big hits in defence, so we have good strengths and complement each other quite well. It’s been working well.
“There’s a lot of competition which I think spurs everyone on and makes everyone have to improve their game, so I think the match-up between the Edinburgh and Glasgow back-rows this weekend will be quite spicy.”
Glasgow are aiming to get their hands back on the 1872 Cup after Edinburgh had the better aggregate score over two legs last season, and Fagerson believes that being back at Scotstoun for the first time since the end of October in the opening match of this double-header is a big advantage for his team.
“Whoever has the home game first usually has the momentum,” he reasoned. “We’ll put our best foot forward, bring that physical edge, then look to do the same at Murrayfield the following week.”
