Key Scotland backs Finn Russell and Darcy Graham ‘in the hunt’ to face England
Talismanic co-captain Russell and free-scoring wing Graham were cast as doubts for the Calcutta Cup clash after suffering head injuries.
Key Scotland backs Finn Russell and Darcy Graham are both “in the hunt” to be involved in Saturday’s showdown with England at Allianz Stadium, according to assistant coach Pete Horne.
Talismanic co-captain Russell and free-scoring wing Graham were cast as doubts for the Calcutta Cup clash after suffering head injuries following a nasty collision with each other in the first half of last Sunday’s 32-18 defeat by Ireland at Murrayfield.
However, both players remain with the squad and have been taking part in light training at the Scots’ warm-weather base in Oliva Nova, south-east Spain, over the past few days.
Their 12-day stand-down period from full contact rugby is due to end on Thursday – the day the squad fly from Spain to London – and if they pass the required protocols, they will be free to train fully on Friday with a view to playing against the Auld Enemy on Saturday.
“They’re both progressing well through the protocols,” Horne said, speaking from Spain on Monday. “There are still a couple of days left until we finalise the team and things. There’s a fair bit of training to do.
“I think depending on how that goes over the next couple of days, there’s a chance that they could both play. They’re not full training, but we did some light skills today and they were both involved in that.
“Last week they were working with the physios and the doctor, getting through the early stages of it. And then today they joined in for a bit of skills and things. We’ll see how they are off the back of that today.
“They’ll do a bit of training again tomorrow [Tuesday] and then see how we go from there, but they’re both progressing pretty well. They’re in good spirits and they’ve certainly been a part of the sessions and things so far.
“They’ve still got certain things that they need to tick off. There won’t be any risks taken. I’m sure the medics are right on top of it. And depending on how the next couple of days go, they’ve both got a chance of playing on Saturday.”
Russell was able to walk off the pitch unaided against Ireland, but the prognosis looked notably bleaker for Graham when he lay prone on the buggy while being carted off and then taken to hospital. Both players are now deemed to be at a similar stage of their recovery.
“Darcy obviously went to the hospital, but it was more precautionary,” said Horne. “He got everything checked out and by all accounts, it all went well. He got good results.
“They’re both progressing through at the same point. They were training together earlier in the week, going through their protocols together. They both just gradually got returned to training today. They’re both in the hunt.”
Scotland have added Bath centre Cam Redpath, Edinburgh scrum-half Ali Price and Edinburgh wing Ross McCann to their squad, with centre Matt Currie dropping out due to concussion, back-rower Alexander Masibaka returning to his club Soyaux Angouleme and scrum-half George Horne having a facial injury assessed.
Scotland are aiming to win the Calcutta Cup for the fifth year running this weekend after ending a 38-year wait for victory at Twickenham when they won there in 2021.
“We’ve not done too well (at Twickenham) until recently, but that’s what’s great about it, the boys have got experience of going down there and getting results,” said Horne. “I think we’ve shown we’ve got the game that can cause them a lot of problems.
“But they’re in a good spot at the moment. They’re off the back of a brilliant result (against France) so they’ll be full of confidence. It’s a massive game for them, with us having won the last four.
“There’ll be a little bit of needle to add to what’s always a very big game with the rivalry that’s there. It’s a good challenge for our boys to get back on the horse and stay in the tournament.”
