Scotland dealt triple injury blow ahead of Fiji clash as key finisher ruled out
Scotland wing Kyle Steyn will miss the game against Fiji.
Scotland will be without the services of wing Kyle Steyn, openside flanker Rory Darge and second-row Alex Samuel for their Nations Championship clash with Fiji.
Steyn is sidelined with a foot issue while Darge is unavailable due to concussion and Samuel will miss Saturday’s meeting because of a knee injury, it has been confirmed.
All three were scheduled to feature against the Springboks last weekend, with Steyn and Darge starting while Samuel pulled out of the clash on the morning of the game.
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend confirmed after the 42-28 loss at Loftus Versfeld that his lock would require surgery on his knee and is set to miss several weeks.
Fiji next up
Despite going down to defeat, the Scots certainly pushed the Springboks all the way last weekend and flanker Matt Fagerson is keen to “push on ” against Fiji on Saturday.
“The schedule is a bit draining on the body and on the mind, and obviously spending time away from the family, but we’re a very tight group and we’ve had a great three weeks together,” he told Scotland Rugby News.
“We hope we can push on and get a win next week as well.”
Fagerson has been encouraged by Scotland’s showings in the opening two rounds of the Nations Championship, highlighting how they have dug in during difficult periods.
“Last week Argentina scored early, then we came back and we put them away comfortably; although we leaked a couple at the end,” the back-row forward continued.
“Even on Saturday, we were down 14-0 away from home against the Springboks and we didn’t cave in like we saw England do it last week.
“We spent a lot of time as a group together and the hurt we had from Argentina in the autumn, we felt we’d righted those wrongs in the Six Nations and we’d become a group that could recognise momentum swings and we were trying to play on that in the middle third as well.
“If we’d gone over the line on a couple of those chances, it might be a different scoreline.
Something special
“I think the lessons learned from Argentina, I feel like we have moved on as a group. We’re building something pretty special here.
“Over the last five or six years, we’ve locked in what our identity is and who we are. I think everybody’s on the same page as in that.”
Finishing their mid-year campaign at home is something no other Six Nations outfit can enjoy, and Fagerson admits it’s an ideal situation to sign off at Murrayfield.
“The way the schedule has worked out, we’ve got the best part of the draw that we’ve been away for two or three weeks and then we get to finish up at home and play in front of our friends and family,” he said.
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