Watch Zander Fagerson hear the news of his British & Irish Lions call-up

Zander Fagerson thought his red card against Wales had put paid to his hopes of a Lions call-up so when his name was one of the 37 read out in a live TV broadcast of the squad announcement the big prop was as shocked as he was delighted.

Zander Fagerson celebrates his call-up to the British & Irish Lions squad. Picture: Craig Williamson/SNS

A video posted on Twitter by the Glasgow Warriors media team captures the moment perfectly as Fagerson, surrounded by his club-mates, hears the news at Scotstoun.

“We had just finished the captain’s run and were up having lunch in the team room,” explained the tighthead, who will make his 100th Glasgow appearance in tonight’s derby against Edinburgh. “It was pretty special to be around my teammates and especially Matt [his younger brother and fellow Warriors and Scotland forward].

“I was not expecting it to happen at all. I genuinely didn’t think my name was going to be called out. I went upstairs hoping for the best but expecting the worst. When my name was read out, it was surreal, it hasn’t sunk in yet. It was a really special day, one I will remember forever.

“Everyone was absolutely buzzing, lots of back slaps and fist bumps, because, you know, Covid. It was really special, my phone was going absolutely crazy.”

Fagerson’s dismissal for a dangerous clearout in Scotland’s Six Nations defeat by Wales was a contentious decision but it landed him a four-match ban.

“I’ll be honest, I didn't think I had a shout after the red card,” he added. “It really was an honour and a privilege to be called out today and that just makes it all even more special.”

Fagerson credits scrum specialists Petrus du Plessis and Pieter de Villiers for helping him make the improvements in his game needed to make the leap into the Lions squad.

“It was back to fundamentals, back to the basics of scrummaging. The key roles to a tighthead. To be able to work with Pieter with Scotland and Petrus with Glasgow has been important. Both being tightheads themselves, two world class tightheads, I have been able to pick their brains and come on leaps and bounds.”

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