Hawick’s Darcy Graham expected to be fit for Scotland’s autumn tests despite missing Edinburgh’s fourth game of new United Rugby Championship season

Head coach Sean Everitt was initially hopeful of having Graham available for selection for that trip to Wales but, given the Hawick 28-year-old’s track record of injuries, has decided to err on the side of caution and hand his No 14 jersey to ex-Melrose winger Ross McCann instead, with left-winger Duhan van der Merwe also being given the night off and his place going to Lewis Wells.

Both, however, should be available for as many of Scotland’s four autumn tests as national head coach Gregor Townsend sees fit to field them for, Everitt reckons.

“Darcy aggravated an old injury but he’s available for November,” explained the 55-year-old.

“He’s not been comfortable this week and we don’t want to risk him now with the games that they have in November. Those are really important for Scotland.

“On top of that, it’s a long season and we’ve got 11 weeks in a row to contend with heading into January, so I’d rather he be fit, especially with what he’s gone through as well.

“He had an old medial collateral ligament repair and he’s just aggravated that, but he will be available in November.

“I presume that Duhan and Darcy will be involved in most of the test matches in November, depending on how Gregor manages them, and we will need to probably rest them for the Ospreys game at the end of the month because there’s a long December and January coming up.”

Graham’s latest knee injury was sustained 25 minutes into Edinburgh’s 43-0 win at home to Benetton last Friday, his first game back following an ankle injury on British and Irish Lions duty in Australia in July.

​The right-winger played on following three rounds of medical attention, scoring two of his side’s seven tries against the Italian outfit as they notched up their first win of the season, and Everitt’s initial impression was that nothing was too much amiss.

Saturday’s kick-off at Cardiff Arms Park is at 7.45pm.

Edinburgh go into that away-day sitting ninth in the table, on eight points from three matches, five places and eight points worse off than their hosts, having played one game fewer.

Former Gala and Border Reivers back Townsend’s Scots commence their four autumn internationals at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium versus the USA on Saturday, November 1, with kick-off at 5.40pm.

That’s followed by fixtures against New Zealand seven days later, with kick-off at 3.10pm; Argentina on Sunday, November 16, at the same time; and Tonga on Sunday, November 23, at 1.40pm.

Graham is one of four Borderers in Townsend’s 45-strong squad, along with fellow ex-Green Rory Sutherland, and two of his teammates at Edinburgh, West Linton’s Patrick Harrison and Melrose’s Harri Morris.

He’s on 47 caps, with Glasgow Warriors loosehead prop Sutherland, 33, on 43. Harrison, 23, is on three and fellow hooker Morris, 24, is yet to make his international test debut.