David Denton to miss Rugby World Cup and is ‘devastated’

Scotland forward David Denton admits it is “devastating” that he won’t play in another Rugby World Cup but hopes he can prolong his career despite a serious head injury.

David Denton after the 2015 Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Australia. Picture: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

Now 29, the former Edinburgh No 8 has been sidelined since last October after suffering a concussion playing for his current club Leicester Tigers and ruled out for the rest of the season. He accepts that means his hopes of playing in another World Cup, where he starred for Scotland in their epic 35-34 loss to Australia in the quarter-finals back in 2015, are over.

“I’ve kept in touch with the Scotland guys and the word back was if I wasn’t training fully by June-July time then I couldn’t make the World 
Cup. That’s not likely and that’s devastating,” said 
Denton, who has 42 caps for Scotland.

He remains confident that he can continue his career but admits “it’s something I’ll have to think about” after 
suffering the latest serious head injury in his career.