Darcy Graham 'jealous' of rival wings as pressure grows to regain form

Scotland wing Darcy Graham admits he is under pressure to hit top form for Edinburgh if he wants to reclaim a starting spot for his country in next month’s autumn Tests.

The 27-year-old scored 24 tries in 24 games for club and country over the last two seasons, including twelve in his last ten for Scotland, despite a series of knee, quad, hip and groin injuries which restricted him to just four matches for Edinburgh last term.

Graham hasn’t played a Test since last year’s World Cup, missing a second successive Six Nations and Scotland’s summer tour during eight months on the sidelines.

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Although he marked his comeback with a try in a pre-season outing against Gloucester, it has been a frustrating start to the URC campaign for the winger.

He struggled to make an impact as Edinburgh lost their opening three matches, but did get off the mark with a sharp finish as the capital side beat Stormers 38-7 last Saturday.

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With club-mate Duhan van der Merwe breaking Scotland’s all-time try-scoring record in the summer and a go-to choice for head coach Gregor Townsend, competition for wing spots has intensified in Graham’s absence.

Glasgow captain Kyle Steyn has been consistently superb – starting the new campaign with three tries in two games before a minor ankle issue – while fellow Warriors Kyle Rowe and Jamie Dobie, plus Sale flier Arron Reed, also took their chances on the summer tour and have impressed in recent weeks.

“A hundred per cent, the pressure is on,” said Graham, third on Scotland’s all-time list of try scorers with 24, as he contemplated the importance of Saturday’s URC date with Cardiff to his international prospects.

“Me and Duhi [van der Merwe] have been speaking about that – the pressure is on us. The lack of ball has not given us the opportunities to perform how we want to, and you look at other wingers out there in our position and they’re getting loads of ball.

“So I do think there is a bit of pressure on us to go out there and perform and really show what we can do, especially for me. I had not played for eight months – I’ve got a lot of points to prove, that I can get back up to where I was twelve months ago.”

Graham insists he relishes the heightened competition for a starting place, having been a first-choice pick for club and country prior to his recent injury travails.

“You need that competition, because things go stale,” he said. “I love that competition and getting one up over boys – it’s quite a good feeling.

“It does make you a better player. It’s too easy nowadays to cruise through training knowing you’re going to play. You don’t work as hard, so you definitely need that competition.”

As a winger, the Borderer considers it part of his job description to be scoring tries and igniting his team’s attack with the devastating mix of speed, footwork and ability to spin out of tackles that has been his trademark.

He admits to casting an envious glance at Scottish rivals Glasgow, who have plundered 22 tries in their first four matches with an expansive all-court game, in contrast to Edinburgh’s more direct approach, which has nevertheless yielded five tries against both Leinster and Stormers at home.

“I just want to get my hands more on the ball,” Graham said. “Especially when you look at other teams, like Glasgow up the road, their wingers are touching the ball ten, twelve times a game. I’m slightly jealous. For me, that’s what I want. I know Duhi and [full-back] Wes [Goosen] want the same, so it’s just about how we can apply that to the game.

“That’s what we’ve had to resolve, coming off our wings and looking for the ball, because we get frustrated if it’s not coming wide. But it will come. I know it will come.”

Graham points out that as well as trying to work his own way back to form after a long period out, the likes of new fly-half Ross Thompson and centre Mosese Tuipulotu are also bedding into Edinburgh’s game-plan.

“If you look, Ross is new to the club, still trying to find his feet. Mosese, he’s still brand new – he’s pretty raw and he’s still trying to find his feet at the club as well. So for me it’s just trying to figure out how these boys like to play, getting timing off them and that.

“So it’s just a bit of rust. That will come right. It did last weekend and it was good. But we have still got more improvements. I think we’ve got 30, 35 per cent more in us. Especially as a backline, I don’t think we’ve fired many shots yet.

“We’ve got the licence to play, which is the most exciting part. They’re not saying don’t play. They’re wanting us to get our hands on ball, so it’s just about doing it.

“We’ve got world-class players all across the backline. I feel sorry for the forwards – they’ve been putting in an absolute shift in the last four games. They’ve been going to war, so I think as a back line we do need to step up, help them out, take a bit of pressure off them and give them a bit of a rest. That will make their job easier – then the backs can’t moan about getting no ball.”

The combination of the diminutive Graham’s electric feet and the power and pace of 6ft 4in Van der Merwe has been a consistent feature for both Edinburgh and Scotland in recent years.

But that could be under threat at club level at least, with La Rochelle heading a posse of French clubs intent on recruiting Van der Merwe, whose contract expires at the end of the season.

“Me and Duhi work really well together – I’ve played with him forever now,” added Graham. “He’d be a huge character to lose at the club. But it’s not my decision. It’s up to him.”