Hawick rugby star Darcy Graham fit to resume first Six Nations campaign for three years
Hawick’s Darcy Graham will be back in the reckoning for a starting place for Scotland’s next game of rugby’s 2025 Six Nations at home to Wales this coming Saturday after missing out on their 16-15 defeat away to England last month, it’s been confirmed.
Scotland forwards coach John Dalziel this week reported that his fellow Borderer is back in full training, as of Tuesday, and will be in contention to play against the Welsh at the weekend as his country look to get their campaign back on track after two losses in three games.
“Darcy’s returned to full fitness, so he’s available for selection,” said the ex-Melrose, Gala and Border Reivers flanker.
Right-winger Graham was forced to go off injured quarter of the way into the Scots’ 32-18 loss at home to Ireland at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium after a clash of heads with fly-half Finn Russell and has been out of action since.
It’s his third Six Nations on the bounce to be blighted by injury as he missed 2023 and 2024’s all together, but initial fears that the 27-year-old would be ruled out of the rest of this one too after just 72 minutes of one game and 21 of another have proved to be unfounded.
Graham’s omission from head coach Gregor Townsend’s match-day squad for his side’s 16-15 defeat at London’s Twickenham Stadium on Saturday, February 22, and ex-Hawick and Gala loosehead prop Rory Sutherland’s late withdrawal from the bench due to a back injury meant that teamsheet was the first so far this championship not to feature any Borderers.
Graham and fellow former Green Sutherland, 32, are among three representatives of the region in Townsend’s squad, the other being ex-Peebles hooker Patrick Harrison.
Graham is currently on 44 caps since 2018, all but five of them starts, with Glasgow Warrior Sutherland on 39, 20 of them as a replacement, since 2016 and Edinburgh’s Harrison, 22, on three since July last year, two of them as a substitute.
Scotland head into round four of the tournament looking for a third win on the trot against interim head coach Matt Sherratt’s visitors, with kick-off at Murrayfield at 4.45pm, and looking ahead to that game, Dalziel, 48, added: “We’ve got to try and find areas where we can go and pressure them and try and put them into uncomfortable positions and hopefully bring the demons back that have been there in the games prior.
“That’s what we’re looking for – like every match, we’re going to look at the opposition and see where we can get some sort of advantage.”
Sutherland is also available for selection for Saturday, said Dalziel, explaining: “Suz took a little bit of a back spasm ahead of England but he’s returned as well.
“The two Hawick lads are back running around together and they're both available.”