Watson keen to build on first pre-season run-out

7 Sep 2025

Fergus Watson hopes that the experience gained in yesterday’s pre-season opener will serve Glasgow Warriors well moving into the new campaign, after a youthful squad fell to defeat at the hands of Bath at The Rec.

The academy prospect was prominent throughout from full-back, showcasing his qualities against the English champions in both attack and defence in the club’s first hit-out ahead of the 2025/26 season.

“It was tough, but it was good to get a runabout with the boys and put what we’ve been practicing into a game, against a tough outfit like Bath as well,” the Scotland U20 cap told glasgowwarriors.org post-match.

“They’re a top-quality side, so to be able to test ourselves against them in pre-season, in front of a great crowd and on a great surface, that can only serve us well.”

Nowhere was the youthful nature of Glasgow’s starting XV more evident than in the back-line, with Kerr Johnston – with one professional appearance – the most experienced member of the group behind the scrum.

With the majority of the young backs having played together at U20 level, however, Watson admitted that the sense of familiarity with those around him was a reassuring factor in the run-up to kick-off.

“It does definitely help,” he said.

“Coming through the academy and age-groups with the boys like Matty [Urwin] and the two Kerrs [Yule and Johnston], you start to be able to read what they’re going to do.

“That helps you run off them and just back them to the best of their ability as well. We’re all working and pushing each other on.

“It’s good to get tested against guys like Henry Arundell, Chris Harris and so on – these guys are proven at international level and top-class players. We’ll definitely take confidence from that, and hopefully bring that into games going forward, because we want to be testing ourselves against guys like that as much as we can.”

Attentions for the Warriors now turn back to Glasgow, as the squad returns home to take on Northampton Saints in The Famous Grouse Pre-Season Friendly this Friday night.

For Watson – whose previous appearances at Scotstoun for Glasgow Warriors A have come in front of crowds of less than 1000 – the prospect of running out in front of the Warrior Nation is a tantalising one, but the Biggar RFC product isn’t prepared to get carried away.

“It was good to get back in the Glasgow shirt. Playing with the boys that we train with every day – it’s absolutely class.

“It’d be pretty cool to play at Scotstoun in front of our home crowd – I’ve not had the chance to run out in front of a full crowd at home yet, so that would be an unbelievable opportunity. I know I just need to keep putting my hand up and see what Franco and the coaches say, though.