Fagerson: Scotland Now Possesses “Hard Edge” Alongside Attacking Flair

Following Scotland’s Autumn Nations Series conclusion with a win against Australia, a match in which Matt Fagerson earned his 50th cap, Fagerson stated that the team has demonstrated a “hard edge” complementing their attacking flair. Scotland secured three victories from their four autumn fixtures, with their sole defeat occurring against world champions South Africa. Despite this loss, the Scots matched the formidable Springboks physically. Furthermore, their robust defence significantly contained an Australian attack that had previously accumulated 13 tries across two wins against England and Wales. Fagerson commented, “I think Scotland in the past maybe have been classed as being able to do all the flairy things, scoring from anywhere, but didn’t have that hard edge when it came to our defence.” He continued, “I think we’ve shown that in the last year or so, that we’re a very tough team to break down, and the physicality against South Africa, and then against Australia, I think that’s a great benchmark.” Fagerson added, “We know that’s where we are, and that’s something we’ve got to try and replicate every week.” Fagerson concluded, “We’re very happy with the win leading into the Six Nations. We know we’ve still got things to work on, but it’s a great confidence boost leading into the first game.”