Scotland lock Alex Samuel will undergo knee surgery next week and faces a spell of several weeks on the sidelines, head coach Gregor Townsend has confirmed, with vice-captain Rory Darge also facing a fitness check after failing a head injury assessment during Saturday’s 42-28 defeat to South Africa.
According to Townsend, speaking after Scotland’s four-try effort in Pretoria, Samuel was withdrawn from the bench before kick-off having originally been named among the replacements, with Glasgow Warriors team-mate Max Williamson stepping into his place. “Alex will be getting surgery on his knee next week when we get back, so he’ll be out a number of weeks,” Townsend said. “It’s really unfortunate for him, he was due to be on the bench. He’s had a great season for Glasgow, and he’ll definitely be in the mix at Test level when he comes back.”
Darge Doubt Adds To Scotland’s Injury Concerns Ahead Of Murrayfield Fiji Clash
Darge failed his HIA at half-time in Pretoria and was replaced by Josh Bayliss, leaving Townsend to assess the flanker’s availability before Scotland’s Nations Championship finale against Fiji at Murrayfield on Saturday, a match they head into sitting third in the Northern Hemisphere table after two rounds.
Townsend praised how his bench responded in Pretoria, singling out Williamson’s impact and the second-row pairing of Gregor Brown and Scott Cummings after Samuel’s late withdrawal. Scotland picked up a losing bonus point from four tries but missed the chance to win on South African soil, a result that leaves them below England in the latest World Rugby rankings heading into the final round.
With fitness updates expected as Scotland reconvene at home this week, the Fiji clash now carries extra weight as Townsend looks to end the series with a Murrayfield win.
