For Zander Fagerson, the screeching pressure, hard graft, and energy-sapping demands are a daily reality. And that's just life at home with his four children, all under the age of seven, including 14-month-old twins. The Glasgow Warriors and Scotland prop, who turns 30 on Monday, faces a different kind of intensity on the rugby field, but he embraces both challenges with equal passion. "You definitely need a lot more patience with the kids," he says wryly. "It's different stresses. One's more physical, one's more mental. I love them both."
From Lions Despair to Family Resolve
The year 2025 was a brutal emotional rollercoaster for Fagerson. It began with the joy of his twins' birth and the thrill of selection for the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia. However, a cruel sequence of calf injuries meant the kit day in London was the closest he got to the squad. "It was the toughest couple of months of my career," he admits. "Running by yourself, no one else in the building and all your mates on a Lions tour... I was knocked for six."
Determined to turn a negative into a positive, he took his family on a holiday to Asia. Yet, upon his return to Glasgow, disaster struck again: a significant knee injury during a gym session on his very first day back. The frustration of not even being able to play with his children compounded his misery. Now, after what he calls an "eight-month pre-season," the 76-cap Scotland international is finally back, fit and determined to make up for lost time.
Glasgow's Unbeaten European Charge
Fagerson's return coincides with a formidable period for Glasgow Warriors. The team remains unbeaten in their Champions Cup pool and can secure a top seeding for the knockout stages with a victory over Saracens at Scotstoun this Sunday. This momentum was epitomised by a stunning comeback from 21-0 down to beat Toulouse 28-21 in December, a game where Fagerson and his brother Matt were instrumental.
"The boys know our gameplan inside out," Fagerson says of the team's spirit. "We work hard – I can vouch for that – but we also have fun." While the impending departures of Huw Jones and Adam Hastings to French clubs are a blow, Fagerson believes it will only stiffen the squad's resolve to achieve what they haven't before: progressing beyond the Champions Cup quarter-finals, where they have fallen heavily three times, twice to Saracens.
Faith, Family, and Future Goals
A man of deep faith, Fagerson sees his trying year as part of a larger plan. "I've got total trust that God's got a plan for me," he reflects, viewing the injury layoff as a potential "reset." Now, with his 30th birthday on the horizon, he is physically and mentally ready to contribute more. "I'm still loving my rugby and coming to work every day with a smile on my face. That's never going to change. Age is just a number. And luckily tightheads can go for a while."
His immediate focus is on securing a pool-topping win against Saracens, which would be the perfect pre-birthday gift before a family celebration featuring hidden artwork from his children and, hopefully, some cake. After a year of profound disappointment, there is a widespread feeling in Scottish rugby that Zander Fagerson is a player who thoroughly deserves a change of fortune.
