Multi-talented teenager Zander Fagerson has been hailed as the hottest young property in Scottish rugby in the wake of his short but stunning debut in big-time rugby.
The rookie prop came off the bench on in Italy Sunday to stave off Treviso after Glasgow had been reduced to 13 men by two yellow cards.
And not only did he plug the hole in the front row, the power and skill of 18 year old had his rival forwards in all sorts of trouble.
Warriors coach Gregor Townsend jumped to the front of the queue to heap praise on the kid, who has already made a mark on life by becoming Scottish youth mountain-biking champion, singing in the National Boys Choir and qualifying as a lifeguard.
Townsend grinned: “Zander was outstanding. He’s done really well since he’s been with us and we were always looking to bring him on against Treviso.
“But to bring him on when we were down to 13 men and you’re up against an Italian front-row?
“I thought he was outstanding. It’s credit to him and the work he’s putting in.
“This is what professional rugby is all about. It’s about working hard to create opportunities and then taking them.
“We’ve done that in terms of the tries we’ve scored but young players have also done that over the last couple of seasons.
“Gordon Reid and Finn Russell played really well here last year and grabbed their opportunity which led to appearances in the Pro12 semi-final and final.
“Zander has grabbed an opportunity and he’s now got to compete hard with the other tight-heads we’ve got at the club.”
The efforts of Taysider Fagerson – who had been starring for Glasgow Hawks in the Premiership – helped Glasgow seal the bonus-point success that propelled them to the top of the league.
Townsend added: “We’ve seen teams struggle out there – Italian teams are very tough at home.
“It’s a different environment with the sun and the atmosphere the crowd generates but we’ve got to make sure we still focus on what we know works for us.
“I was really pleased we managed to get into a big enough lead that even though we picked up two yellow cards we were still comfortable winners.”