athletes
united-rugby-event
Edinburgh have disregarded worries regarding Scotland wingers Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham after they both sustained injury concerns approximately two weeks prior to their initial autumn Test against the USA.
Van der Merwe secured the initial try among Edinburgh’s seven during an overwhelming 43-0 URC victory over Benetton on Friday, but he exited the game four minutes into the second half due to limping.
Graham, conversely, seemed to be experiencing difficulty after hitting his knee while attempting to challenge a high ball during the 25th minute.
He underwent treatment twice before cautiously re-entering the match, only for a winding sprint from deep to necessitate further attention from the medical staff, who this time applied substantial wrapping to his right knee.
The determined Borderer not only persisted but also executed an outstanding finish in the right corner just before the halftime break, receiving ice treatment on his knee during the interval.
Scotland
USA
Graham, possessing 31 tries across 47 Tests, trailing only Van der Merwe’s 32 (in 49 Tests) atop Scotland’s all-time leaderboard, returned for the second half and concluded the game positively, accelerating onto Ben Vellacott’s pass at the halfway line to sprint away for his second try of the night and third of the new campaign.
“Darcy experienced a knee-on-knee incident during the match,” stated Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt. “Currently, it doesn’t appear to be any soft tissue [damage]; otherwise, I’m confident the medics would have withdrawn him. We’ll keep watch on him. However, he persevered and scored an impressive try at the end, so he seems fine.
“That is characteristic of him. He dislikes being removed. He is resilient. He also enjoys his rugby. He was eager to get on the field tonight to compete at home. It is challenging to remove him, but we heed the medics.”
When questioned about his knee’s condition after the game, Graham informed Premier Sports, “I slightly twisted it early on, but it appears to be okay. I just required five minutes to run it off and some ice on it at halftime – as good as new.”
Regarding Van der Merwe, Everitt mentioned that the imposing winger was substituted due to a bruised heel.
“We’ll assess it on Monday,” he stated. “It is not the first instance of bruised heels we’ve encountered. Darcy also faced challenges with it last year. However, we anticipate he’ll be ready to go next week [against Cardiff].
“Duhan scored a remarkable try. It demonstrates the value of getting the ball into his hands with some open space. That was our strategy today. If we could get the ball into the 15s, we would have an advantage against them.”
Following agonizing defeats in their initial two URC matches away at Zebre and Munster, sandwiching their first home game of the season against Ulster, which was postponed during Storm Amy, Edinburgh derived considerable home comfort from their return to Hive Stadium with a comfortable bonus-point victory.
Cammy Scott, making only his second start at 10 and his first for nearly two years, showcased impressive attacking and defensive skills before being forced off due to an HIA after 47 minutes, following a no-arms tackle from Malakai Fekitoa, resulting in a yellow card for the Benetton center. Scott did not return and will be unavailable for next week’s trip to Cardiff.
Fellow half-back Charlie Shiel also made a strong impression in a rare start at scrum-half, his first since January.
“Charlie was presented with an opportunity, and I believe his box-kicking was exceptional,” Everitt added. “He managed the game exceptionally well against a team aiming to constrict you.
“Occasionally, with the abundance of ball received via kicks, there is a tendency to overplay. However, we adhered to our plan. Cammy [Scott] demonstrated defensive strength with Fekitoa running at him for much of the evening.
“He maintained his position admirably, which is one of his strengths. He has developed steadily since my arrival. I am delighted that we could provide him with a start in his preferred position.”
