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Late hitch for Scotland as Darcy Graham ruled out of Georgia clash
Darcy Graham has been ruled out of the Scotland Rugby World Cup warm-up match with Georgia on Saturday after suffering a quad strain. The 26-year-old Edinburgh wing was named in the starting XV on Thursday but on Friday it was announced that his place in the team had been taken by Kyle Steyn.
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Scottish Rugby described the injury being nursed by Graham – Scotland’s sixth-highest try-scorer of all time – as “mild”.
His absence on Saturday means he will fly to France for the World Cup next weekend having played only two matches for his country this calendar year after returning from a long-term knee injury at the end of last season.
Graham’s Edinburgh colleague Sam Skinner knows all about the perils of pre-tournament fitness issues after a hamstring injury sustained in a warm-up match against France ruled him out of the World Cup in Japan four years ago.
Despite that setback in 2019, the 28-year-old lock is adamant he will not be taking it easy against Georgia on Saturday, just a week before the Scots fly to France to prepare for their opening pool match against South Africa in Marseille on September 10.
“I have been touching lots of wood and hoping it will be fine,” Skinner said when asked about the spectre of another untimely injury. “You have just got to go flat out and hope it will be fine.
“It’s a Test match, an opportunity to represent your country and give it everything you have got. That is all I will be thinking about. Obviously, it’s a contact sport and there are risks but you can’t afford to think like that.
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“You have just got to go flat out, play for your country and hope you come out the other side. It’s important we get minutes under the belt and come into that South Africa game as well prepared as we can be. That’s the priority.
“It’s a brutal sport at times, and that is the price that people pay sometimes, but it is the right thing for us all to be playing and to be giving it a good go.”
After fellow second-rower Jonny Gray suffered a dislocated kneecap at the end of last season, Skinner looked certain to be in Gregor Townsend’s final 33-man squad for France. Nonetheless, he was taking nothing for granted until he got the confirmation at the start of last week.
“I didn’t feel safe at all,” he said with regard to squad selection. “We have got a really competitive squad which is great, and especially after the last World Cup campaign, I wasn’t taking anything for granted.
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“I’m chuffed to bits, really, really proud and I can’t wait. I was probably hoping to be involved a little bit more because of what happened four years ago.
“Being told I was in the squad probably felt that little bit more special because I had felt that disappointment last time around.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Yes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
34 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
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