Downtime with Glasgow and Scotland prop Zander Fagerson 

Who are the jokers with Glasgow and Scotland? 

Ryan Wilson likes a good laugh; he’s quite funny. He’s probably the biggest joker. He gives the big boys a hard time.

What about practical jokes?

John Barclay is good at getting Stuart Hogg. He gets scared pretty quickly.

Do you have any nicknames?

Zander. Or Z. My name is actually Alexander but everyone calls me Zander.

What annoys you?

People being rude; manners don’t cost anything. And cheap shots, especially when the ref doesn’t pick them up. There are a lot of things, probably too many.

Do you have any phobias?

I’m pretty good, I don’t spook easily. I hate horror films; ones with demons like Insidious freak me out. I’ll watch them but I don’t enjoy it – I prefer a rom-com.

We have quite an old house and the floorboards are creaky. We’ve got two French bulldogs so they’ll be running around downstairs in the middle of the night. It sounds pretty creepy.

What’s been your most embarrassing moment?

For my last birthday we went bowling and there was a punchbag (that measured force). Being a prop, I’m not the smallest and thought we could give it a bash. I had some mates there who were back-rows and second-rows; they went first and I was the grand finale, hopefully setting a new record. I wound up for the first punch and missed. It was extremely embarrassing. I went bright red.

I told everyone it was my birthday so they couldn’t tell a soul what had happened. I went to work the next day and one of the boys said, “I heard you got in a fight last night. I heard you missed him though!”

Focal point: Zander Fagerson takes on Italy during the Six Nations (Getty Images)

At least no one recorded it!

That would have been £250 guaranteed by You’ve Been Framed!

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why? 

To never get tired, to be awake all the time, so in the night I could play Fortnite and other computer games, and during the day I wouldn’t miss a beat. Life’s too short and you sleep half your life. So if you didn’t sleep it would be fun.

Do you have any superstitions?

Not superstitions but I have a game routine. I’ll always write my grandfather’s initials on my tape, and a Bible verse. It’s a sort of anchor; if I’m not having the best game, it gives me a bit of strength.

What’s the daftest thing you’ve bought? 

It probably happened today. I got a paintball grenade and was hoping for a big bang, a paint explosion that went everywhere and got loads of lads out, but it was the most pathetic bang I’ve ever seen. I spent £7 on it.

Another time, me and a mate got these battery-operated cars and thought we’d race them. But they were rubbish and died within half an hour, so we chucked them in the bin. £30 I never got back.

Who’d you like to be stuck in a lift with?

Kevin Hart – he’s hilarious and can cheer up the mood. Tom Brady, so I can pick his brain about things. Sofia Vergara from Modern Family; she’s hilarious too.

Lift buddy? Actress Sofia Vergara (Getty Images)

If you could be one of your team-mates, who would it be?

I’d like to be Leo Sarto at Glasgow. He’s really chilled out and a great rugby player. He runs around like I’ve never seen before.

What would you like to achieve outside of rugby?

I’d like to be a good husband. We’re getting married in August. Yasmine’s planned everything, and her mum and dad have been really good too.

I’d like to do a degree next year. Maybe something in construction as I’d like to go into that after rugby. So a good family man and a good guy.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Clotted-cream scones! I have a fruit scone with a big serving of butter, then raspberry jam and lots of clotted cream. If I play well, that’s what I want! Last year we went to Cornwall and that was very dangerous. I’d have them twice a day! And we were there for five days. I came back a bit heavier for the summer tour.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I played the violin, to grade six. I can also play the drums, recorder and trombone. I was a pretty good singer but not any more, now I’ve gone through puberty.

This article originally appeared in the July 2018 issue of Rugby World magazine. Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.