Zander Fagerson's Lions involvement hanging by a thread

Zander Fagerson is among a string of senior Scotland internationals in a battle to prove their fitness ahead of the British and Irish Lions squad announcement.

There had been a general expectation that this year’s tour of Australia would include the largest contingent of Scots ever selected for Lions duty.

While that may still prove to be the case, seven established Scotland starters with genuine aspirations of being named in Andy Farrell’s squad in a fortnight, on May 8, have been denied a clear run of games to prove their form and fitness.

Glasgow players Zander Fagerson, Matt Fagerson, Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones, Jack Dempsey and Scott Cummings, as well as Edinburgh wing Duhan van der Merwe are all currently at various stages of significant injury lay-offs.

Zander Fagerson’s situation is perhaps the most concerning given that he would be considered a certainty for Lions inclusion but appears to be out until at least June with a calf injury suffered in the lead-up to last week’s URC match against Zebre.

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Glasgow head coach Franco Smith, providing an update on the prop’s fitness, told the PA news agency on Thursday: “We’re going to aim to get him ready to play rugby again, hopefully before the finals (of the URC play-offs), so if we’re there, it will be good to be able to lean on him.

“But, you know, it is a 10-12 week injury, so we’ll just have to hold our thumbs and see how well he progresses.”

Asked if he felt the injury would impact Fagerson’s Lions involvement, Smith said: “I wouldn’t know that, but I would not think that this injury would prevent him from being available.”

Smith is confident Scotland captain Tuipulotu and fellow centre Jones – both potential Test starters for the Lions – will return for Glasgow’s URC match away to Benetton on May 10, two days after Farrell’s squad is announced.

Tuipulotu has been sidelined for more than three months with a pectoral injury that kept him out of the entire Six Nations, while Jones has been absent with an ankle injury since his last outing for Scotland away to France on March 15.

“Maybe in a couple of weeks, I hope that Sione will be ready to play against Benetton, the same with Huw,” said Smith.

Fagerson’s brother Matt, who would have been considered a borderline contender for a back-row berth in the Lions squad, is almost certain to miss out after undergoing ankle surgery last week.

Second-rower Cummings – who has been out since suffering a forearm fracture against Harlequins on January 18 – has been given a glimmer of hope of forcing his way into the mix after being named on the Glasgow bench for Friday’s match against Bulls, although the fact he was unable to stake his claim during the Six Nations may count against him in the final reckoning.

Similarly, number eight Dempsey could have done with a good run of games for club and country to bolster his Lions claims, but he has not played since sustaining a hamstring injury against Wales in the Six Nations on March 8.

“Jack ran yesterday and we’re going to now progress that and see how he develops, but he’s definitely on track to be seen again this season,” said Smith.

Scotland’s record try-scorer Van der Merwe, who was part of the 2021 Lions squad, suffered ankle ligament damage in Edinburgh’s match with Scarlets on March 28 and has since undergone surgery. Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt said last weekend he would expect the wing to be back in late May, and potentially available for any URC play-off matches his side may have.

It remains to be seen how all of these injuries play into Farrell’s thinking, with the Lions due to get their summer under way against Argentina in Dublin on June 20 before heading Down Under later that month. The tour concludes with a Test against Australia on August 2.