Okay, you can breath, for now.
Zander Fagerson is ‘in the shape of his life’, Stuart Hogg is good to go and Hamish Watson has “timed his comeback really well’ according to Scotland assistant coach John Dalziel ahead of Saturday’s Calcutta Cup game at Twickenham.
All three were key doubts for Scotland despite being named in the Guinness Six Nations squad two weeks ago. But the restorative Spanish sun – when it finally showed up – and the curing waters of the Med have definitely helped.
Scotland have repaired to the Costa del Sol for their final preparations ahead of meeting England. Guaranteed time on the grass and a Vitamin D boost have ensured everyone has been available for training, despite rain on their arrival and some light frost in the mornings.
Fagerson ‘good to go’
Fagerson was probably the most pressing issue, having not played since picking up a hamstring injury in late November. But the prop – who has started 17 of Scotland’s last 18 tests – looks set fair.
“He’s probably in the shape of his life,” said Dalziel. “We were lucky enough that he was able to do a lot more than we’d thought he could in the first week.
“This is his second week in training. He’s done absolutely everything, not been modified out of anything.”
Lack of recent game time means less for someone who generally plays as much as Zander, said Dalziel.
“In the old days it would be off for two months, doing nothing,” he said. “Now there’s detail around your injury, there’s a return to play, a return to fitness that’s almost a pre-season in itself.
“There’s an argument that injured players come back in a better physical state than guys playing nine or ten games. They get to do gym work and conditioning
“Zander’s played a lot of minutes prior to that. We’ve done a lot of work with him in terms of control and contact.
“I think he’s in the shape of his life. And he’s been dealing with contact over the last few weeks which that replicates game-type intensity. GPS tells us he’s good to go.”
‘We’ve got to manage him right’
Hogg hasn’t played for a few weeks either, but that’s been a close discussion between Scotland and Exeter, Dalziel said.
“He obviously missed a few games, but he was fit and available to be back last weekend,” added the coach.
“There was a good conversation between Exeter and ourselves around the travel, him going back to play a game and then coming back into camp, what was best for Stuart.
“We want the best out of Stuart Hogg, as do Exeter, and we’ve got to manage him right. He’s fit and available.”
Hogg has been leading some of the squad in early morning swims in the Mediterranean as well.
“That’s part of the recovery, and it’s part of the facility we have here as well,” said Dalziel. “The lads have been proactive in terms of the early morning, they’ve got either a cold swimming pool outside or a nice little stroll to the beach and some good S&C.”
Watson available
Watson, who was concussed against New Zealand and November, only made his return for Edinburgh at the weekend. There’s a hint Luke Crosbie might get the start on Saturday, but Watson’s available.
“He’s timed it really well,” said Dalziel.
“He was given probably more than the appropriate time, but he played 80 minutes at the weekend against a really physical Sharks side. He came through that in excellent condition.”
Duhan van der Merwe cut short his honeymoon after getting married in South Africa to return to the squad last week, and is also good to go.