Scotland hit by triple injury blow as Calcutta Cup heroes return to their clubs
Scotland flanker Jamie Ritchie has returned to his club.
Scotland have been dealt a setback ahead of their Six Nations fixture with Wales after three of their Calcutta Cup heroes returned to their clubs for further assessment.
Blindside flanker Jamie Ritchie, wing Jamie Dobie and number eight Jack Dempsey seem to have been ruled out of the Round Three match at the Principality Stadium.
Scottish Rugby has confirmed that Ritchie (knee), Dobie (shoulder) and Dempsey (bicep) suffered injuries in the outstanding 31-20 triumph over England at Murrayfield.
Trio return to clubs
Ritchie did not emerge for the second period of the Six Nations clash, while Dobie departed on 75 minutes and Dempsey on 57 minutes as the Scots sealed the Calcutta Cup.
The former was a notable standout for Gregor Townsend’s men after returning to the side following the opening loss to Italy, while Dobie and Dempsey played in both Tests.
The trio’s expected absence opens up spots in Scotland’s team, and Ritchie’s place on the blindside will likely be taken by either Matt Fagerson or Scott Cummings. There is also the option for head coach Townsend to call in one or more of Magnus Bradbury, Freddy Douglas, Josh Bayliss or Liam McConnell, who are in the wider squad.
That leads on to who will fill in for the powerful Dempsey, and the most likely option is the aforementioned Fagerson, with one of the above then donning the No.6 jersey.
In terms of wing, Darcy Graham looks to be the next cab off the rank after featuring off the bench in recent weeks, while Duhan van der Merwe is another solid option to call on. Another British and Irish Lion, Blair Kinghorn, featured for Toulouse in the Top 14 last Saturday and might also be considered for a place in Townsend’s matchday 23.
Scotland go into the Round Three match in Cardiff full of confidence after a turnaround in fortunes over the weekend, defeating England by playing some excellent rugby.
Scotland in second
The bonus-point win propelled Townsend’s team up to second place in the Six Nations standings, and victory over Wales on Saturday would keep that momentum going.
After facing the Welsh, the tournament goes into a fallow week before the action resumes for Scotland with a Round Four fixture with pace-setters France at Murrayfield.
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Following the Calcutta Cup success, that clash suddenly becomes incredibly important in the title race as Scotland look to knock the Grand Slam chasers off their perch.
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