Borders rugby star Darcy Graham’s comeback bid after injury hit by further setback

​The 26-year-old, yet to play for Edinburgh this United Rugby Championship season, having been ruled out by a hip injury since Scotland’s 36-14 loss to Ireland at the Rugby World Cup in France back on Saturday, October 7, and a subsequent knee operation, had initially been targeting their league game away to Ulster on Saturday tomorrow, December 2, to make his comeback.

The Scotland winger’s recovery has ended up taking longer than he’d have hoped for, however, forcing him to then set his sights instead on next Friday’s European Professional Club Rugby Challenge Cup tie at France’s Clermont Auvergne, and his return date is now being put back a week further.

He’s no longer in head coach Sean Everitt’s selection plans for next week’s French trip, with their following cup tie at home at the capital’s Hive Stadium to Castres Olympique on Saturday, December 16, now being earmarked for his return to the pitch.

“Darcy has been up and down,” said Everitt, 53. “When the announcement came that he’d injured his knee, he actually had an injured hip at the time – it was just that his knee was maybe a little bit worse than his hip.

“It has been backwards and forwards, and he’s been running and had a few setbacks with his return to play, but I’m really hopeful that he’ll be able to be back on the field against Castres.

“Just for next week, if we feel that he’s not 100%, we’re not going to risk him.

“For Darcy to come back, he must be 100% fit, ready and well prepared because we’ve got two important games, then obviously we’ve got to get through January and get him to full fitness for the Six Nations too.”

Graham, capped 39 times since making his debut for Scotland in 2018, scoring 24 tries, just three off fellow ex-Green Stuart Hogg’s all-time record of 27, has been at Edinburgh for the past six years.