Darcy Graham a Six Nations doubt amid Edinburgh injury fears - 'we just hope it's not as bad as it could be'

Fears over fitness of Scotland star with tournament opener in Wales just a fortnight away

Edinburgh's Darcy Graham has emerged as a doubt for Scotland's Six Nations campaign, which gets underway in Wales on February 3. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

Darcy Graham’s readiness for the start of the Six Nations Championship is in doubt after a groin injury ruled him out of Edinburgh’s Challenge Cup match against Scarlets tonight.

Graham’s team-mate Harry Paterson - called up by Scotland coach Gregor Townsend for the first time this week - is also out of the Pool 3 decider, which the capital club need to win with a try bonus point to guarantee their place in the knockout stages. Jamie Ritchie is fit to resume after a jaw injury, but has only been named on the bench in the week that Townsend told him he must prove his form and fitness this evening if he is to hold on to the national captaincy.

“Darcy picked up an injury against Gloucester last weekend,” Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt said yesterday after naming his team. “Unfortunately, he’s been plagued by injury since coming back from the World Cup.

“We’re not sure of the extent of that. We just hope it’s not as bad as what it could be.

“Harry picked up a shoulder niggle in that game. He’s just carrying a few aches and pains and we thought it would be good for him to have a rest this week. So we've sent them for scans for precautionary reasons.”

Paterson was due to replace Graham in the Edinburgh line-up for the game in Wales - their last match for four weeks. Asked if he thought Paterson would be fit to play if there was a game next week, Everitt said: “At this stage I would think so, yes.”

There is clearly extra pressure on Ritchie to perform in whatever time he is given off the bench, but Everitt insisted that the national-team issue was not his concern. “I haven't spoken to Gregor about the captaincy,” he added. “I don't get involved in the international discussions at all.

“There is pressure on rugby players all the time. Jamie has been around long enough to know that he just needs to focus on the job at hand.”

Scrum-half Ali Price also begins on the bench after starting the last four matches. Duhan van der Merwe, who was allowed to miss the Gloucester match in order to attend his twin sister’s wedding in South Africa, is back in the No 11 jersey.