Gregor Townsend provides update on injured Ben White and admits ‘huge boost’ over Zander Fagerson decision

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has given an update on the fitness of Ben White after the scrum-half did not travel with the squad to France this week ahead of the Rugby World Cup warm-up match.

White was injured during their clash with Les Bleus at Murrayfield last Saturday and has subsequently been ruled out of the fixture, with Ali Price coming in.

Ankle injury for White

White, who was a mainstay in Scotland’s team during this year’s Six Nations, sustained an ankle injury that sparked fears over his World Cup participation.

But Townsend has cooled those concerns by revealing that the 25-year-old scrum-half staying in Scotland to recover is due to him continuing his rehabilitation.

“Ben is doing alright,” said Townsend following Thursday’s team announcement. “He’s not part of our group just now, he has stayed at home to continue with rehab.

“Given the fact we’ve got two flights, one out here to our training camp, then one up to Saint-Etienne, and obviously some full-on training sessions, we decided it would be better for Ben to stay back home, get physio and rest up.

“We’re confident Ben will return to training next week or the following week. We do have an appointment booked for him on Monday with a specialist to see how it’s progressing.

“That gives us clarity ahead of announcing our World Cup squad (on Wednesday), but from chatting to the medics last night, he seems to be progressing positively, like we thought he would.”

Another player missing from the Scotland line-up to face France this weekend is suspended prop Zander Fagerson, who was handed a three-game ban on Tuesday.

Despite his absence this weekend, Townsend is relieved that he will be able to call on the tighthead for their Rugby World Cup pool opener against South Africa.

Townsend on Fagerson

“I was part of the group that presented Zander’s case alongside Zander and our team manager (David Edge), and I thought the way the panel approached it, they understood Zander’s actions were mistimed rather than any intent to hurt his opponent,” said Townsend, reflecting on the hearing.

“He was in control of his actions, so with Zander pleading guilty to the charge, we got a sanction that obviously could have been worse, but what we believe was befitting of an unlucky incident rather than intentional foul play.

“It’s a huge boost for Zander that he can now focus on being available for the first game against South Africa. Any longer ban would have taken him out of that game or potentially taken him out of the World Cup, so he’s now got four weeks before we play South Africa to make sure he’s in great physical condition.”

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