The Challenge of Training Rugby Props for Dual Roles

BBC Scotland’s chief sportswriter, Tom English, has addressed inquiries regarding Scottish rugby. One question, posed by Calum, concerned the feasibility of training a loosehead prop to also play tighthead, suggesting a player like Jamie Bhatti as potential additional cover for Zander Fagerson. Calum noted that South Africa has utilized props capable of performing both loosehead and tighthead roles. In response, Tom English stated that his discussions with Test props over the years indicate that transitioning from tighthead to loosehead is considerably simpler than the reverse. Consequently, it would be more challenging for Jamie Bhatti to play tighthead than for Zander Fagerson or Will Hurd to play loosehead. This difficulty is attributed to the fact that approximately 60% of an opposing scrum’s power is directed at the tighthead position. English highlighted Zander Fagerson’s exceptional ability to absorb this immense pressure while still actively participating in the game for 70, and sometimes 80, minutes, describing him as “absolutely world class.” The Irish prop Andrew Porter, who transitioned from tighthead to loosehead, corroborated this perspective. He remarked that “when he came up off a scrum as a loosehead he was able to breathe immediately, whereas at tighthead it took him a few seconds, such was the massive weight coming through on him.” Regarding Jamie Bhatti, English acknowledged him as “a really good player” and expressed that “it’s a shame to see him kicking his heels outside of the 23.” He concluded that if Bhatti were deemed capable of playing tighthead at Test level, he would likely have been given an opportunity by now.