Scotland star could miss Six Nations after confirmation of 'nasty' injury

Scotland could be without Adam Hastings for the Six Nations after he underwent surgery on a fractured jaw.

The Glasgow fly-half was on the wrong end of a heavy, but legitimate, hit from Scarlets’ No. 8 Vaea Fifita in Friday night’s URC match at Scotstoun. He was able to eventually walk off the field after a lengthy period of medical treatment but was in no state to continue and was replaced by Duncan Weir.

The former Gloucester player was taken to hospital where he had an operation over the weekend before being released back home. Glasgow defence coach Pete Murchie confirmed Hastings’ recovery time would be months rather than weeks, a blow both for his club but also for the national team.

Glasgow's Adam Hastings suffered a broken jaw following a tackle from Scarlets' Vaea Fifita at Scotstoun on Friday. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group

He will now miss Warriors’ Champions Cup pool matches – starting with Sale Sharks at home this weekend – and the 1872 Cup derbies against Edinburgh. And there is every chance that the 28-year-old will also sit out the Six Nations with Scotland opening their campaign against Italy on February 1.

Murchie revealed everyone at the club was “gutted” for a player who has endured a horrific run of injuries in recent seasons. He returned to Glasgow in the summer from Gloucester where his consistent performances saw him start at No. 10 in Scotland’s Autumn Series matches against Fiji and Portugal.

Expected to provide the main back-up to Finn Russell during the Six Nations, Hastings instead will now focus his attention on his recuperation.

Murchie said: “It's a long recovery process so we wish him all the best. We'll look after him and he’ll get the best of care. Obviously, it was pretty clear that it was a nasty one straight away. Initially we didn't fully realise that it was the jaw but it’s a huge contact.

“It must be incredibly frustrating for him. That’s been a couple of years now when he’s had some really bad luck. He knows how to recover and I'm sure he'll be back. But everyone's gutted for him. He was starting to put together some really nice performances so it's incredibly frustrating for him.”