Scotland Six Nations hope for Rory Darge as knee injury not as bad as first feared

Glasgow flanker could make tournament – and there is more good news for Gregor Townsend

Rory Darge in action for Glasgow Warriors during a BKT United Rugby Championship match against Edinburgh Rugby at Murrayfield Stadium, on December 30, 2023. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Glasgow Warriors and Scotland have received a significant boost with the news that Rory Darge’s knee injury is not as serious as feared and he remains on course to play a part in this year’s Guinness Six Nations.

Gregor Townsend will name his squad for the championship next week, with the Scots due to open their campaign against Wales away on February 3. The game in Cardiff may come too soon for Darge but the flanker is likely to come into contention soon after.

There were also positive updates on some of Glasgow’s other injured Scotland players, with Kyle Steyn, Jack Dempsey and Matt Fagerson all returning to training this week.

Darge, 23, had to come off in the 54th minute of the Warriors’ 19-14 defeat by Edinburgh at Murrayfield on December 30. His coach, Franco Smith, was pessimistic about the player’s prognosis immediately after the game but tests have revealed a strain to the medial collateral ligament rather than anything more serious.

“It was a pretty nasty-looking injury at the time and we feared the worst but thankfully all the tests have come back really positive, so it’s only a matter of weeks as opposed to a matter of months as first feared,” said Nigel Carolan, the Glasgow assistant coach. “He’s certainly one we’re in a more positive mindset about. It’s only a mild strain on his MCL. Thankfully it’s not as bad as first feared.”

It’s good news for Darge who has already had to contend with a couple of long-term injuries in his short but impressive career. He didn’t play in last year’s Six Nations due to a serious ankle injury sustained while playing for Glasgow against Cardiff but recovered to establish himself as Scotland’s first-choice openside at the Rugby World Cup.

He will miss Glasgow’s Investec Champions Cup matches against Exeter Chiefs this weekend and Toulon the following week but Carolan has not ruled out the possibility of him joining up with Scotland thereafter.

“With Darge, it is only a matter of weeks,” said the attack coach. “He will miss this week, possibly next week, but from the following week on, he will be close to a return.

“Jack Dempsey, if we can get him some game time…this week might be a bit early, but definitely next week he will be back in the picture for selection. Those two guys will definitely be raring to go. They will all be back for Scotland and possibly for us before that.”

Dempsey has only played one game for Glasgow since the World Cup but sustained a head injury in the win over Ulster in November which required surgery on his skull. His back-row colleague Matt Fagerson suffered a facial injury against Northampton Saints last month and winger and club captain Steyn has not played since damaging his ankle in the defeat by Connacht in the second week of the season. All three were reintegrated into team training this week although a decision has yet to be made on whether they will be part of the match-day squad for Saturday’s game against Exeter at Sandy Park.

“Potentially they could be involved, and we need to make a call later in the week,” said Carolan. “With Jack Dempsey and Kyle Steyn particularly, they’ve had extended leave. Kyle has been out since the Connacht game in round 2 and Dempsey has been out for five or six weeks. Having a down week was great for the squad, but those guys would probably have liked a little bit of contact involvement prior to maybe playing or starting this week. They’re training fully and raring to go – it’s about whether we can afford to play without them this week.

“Jack Dempsey had a bang on the head and surgery on his skull. Kyle Steyn had syndesmosis after the Connacht game – another nasty injury. Matt Fagerson had an eye fracture. You can’t speed some of these things up. Bones need time to heal. But they have all worked really hard and been extremely diligent in their rehab.

“The fact they are back ahead of time – and we have had medical staff working right through Christmas with these guys – they have gone over and above the basic level of rehab required. They are keen to get back. They know the Six Nations is just around the corner as well, which is a massive incentive. They probably feel if they can get any exposure to game-time prior to the Six Nations, it is going to help them with selection and performance in that period.”

Glasgow have had a torrid time of it in terms of injuries. Ollie Smith, their full-back, has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in the win over Bayonne, the third Warriors player to suffer such an affliction this season after Fraser Brown and JP du Preez. Smith will now undergo surgery.

Sione Vailanu, the back-row forward, is undergoing an assessment on a knee injury picked up against Edinburgh at Scotstoun while prop Nathan McBeth has been ruled out of the upcoming European fixtures after hurting his shoulder in the second 1872 Cup match at Murrayfield. Gregor Brown is out for the next couple of months with a knee issue, and Enrique Pieretto (knee) and Sebastian Cancelliere (neck) are continuing to rehab their respective injuries. Things are more positive for scrum-half Jamie Dobie who returned to training on Tuesday.

“He’s a bit off selection but he did units with the backs today and he’s had some minor involvement so he’s only a matter of weeks from playing,” said Carolan. “The timing of his return probably doesn’t suit in terms of Scotland selection but hopefully by mid-Six Nations he’ll have a couple of games under his belt with us.”