Scotland handed double injury blow for Six Nations
Scotland have suffered a second injury blow ahead of the Six Nations with Edinburgh tighthead prop Javan Sebastian likely to miss their opening two matches against Wales and France.
Sebastian, 29, hobbled off in obvious distress during the capital side’s 34-21 European Challenge Cup win over Castres last Saturday.
Senior coach Sean Everitt has confirmed Sebastian will be sidelined for six to eight weeks with a knee injury.
The most optimistic prognosis would see the former Scarlets prop return to training in the week of Scotland’s opener against Wales on 3 February.
An eight-week absence would see him miss the Cardiff encounter and the subsequent visit of France to Murrayfield on 10 February, with only a URC trip to Zebre to build up match fitness before Scotland’s third match against England on 24 February.
Sebastian made a late run into Scotland’s Rugby World Cup squad and started his first Test in the 84-0 rout of Romania in Lille, after six previous caps as a replacement.
Having swapped west Wales for Edinburgh last summer, he has featured in seven of their eight matches since returning from France, starting four of them.
With the venerable WP Nel approaching his 38th birthday, Sebastian could be expected to challenge his club-mate as the principal back-up to Zander Fagerson, Scotland’s first-choice tighthead, in a position where they lack strength in depth.
News of Sebastian’s enforced absence is the second setback for national head coach Gregor Townsend with Glasgow’s Ollie Smith also potentially facing months out of action with a knee injury sustained in Warriors’ Champions Cup win in Bayonne last Friday.
Glasgow assistant coach Pete Murchie said Smith’s injury is “definitely a concern” and “potentially going to be longer term”, although Warriors are still awaiting a definitive diagnosis once they receive the results of scans.
Smith, 21, featured in three of Scotland’s four pool matches in France and is the main rival to recent Toulouse signing Blair Kinghorn for the number 15 jersey.
After Stuart Hogg’s retirement before the World Cup, it is another position where the Scots are not blessed with abundant specialists, although the likes of Northampton centre Rory Hutchinson and Edinburgh wing Darcy Graham have featured there over the past couple of seasons.
While Edinburgh will have to do without Sebastian for the next couple of months, their options in other areas have been bolstered by the return to fitness of two more internationals, lock Sam Skinner and full-back Emiliano Boffelli.
Skinner, who has agreed a two-year extension to his contract, should come into contention for the visit of Glasgow to Murrayfield on 30 December, while Argentine Boffelli is poised to return in Friday’s first leg of the Scottish rivals’ festive URC double-header at Scotstoun, eight weeks after injuring a foot in the Pumas’ bronze-medal match against England in Paris.
“He had a full week of training last week and his return comes at the right time with the concussion of Harry Paterson [who suffered a head knock against Castres] so he will be up for selection in the match 23 this weekend,” Everitt said.
Boffelli’s return also gives Everitt his first chance to field a Test-class back three, with Darcy Graham now fit again to supplement Duhan van der Merwe, although the in-form Wes Goosen may have something to say about that.
“Darcy showed what he was about in the World Cup,” Everitt added. “He is a busy player on the field and likes to get his hands on the ball. The more touches he has, the more problems he causes for the opposition. It is great to have him back.
“Duhan is playing really well too and we saw bits and pieces of what he can do on Saturday. He is in good form. Every time he has worn the Edinburgh jersey this year he has done well. Having an international back three is a dream for any club.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Let’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
4 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
4 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, 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.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 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.
4 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
4 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 comments