Scotland winger Darcy Graham set to be out of action until June or July after groin operation

Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt is expecting the Hawick 26-year-old to be sidelined for the next three or four months, so there remains a possibility of him playing again before the end of the current rugby season.

“Darcy has seen a surgeon and he is going to be out long term with a groin injury,” said Everitt, 54.

“We’re hoping that he’ll be back in at the tail-end of the season, but there’s nothing definite. It’s a three to four-month injury.”

The 39-times-capped Borderer missed Scotland’s first two matches of the Six Nations – their 27-26 win in Wales at the start of February and 20-16 loss at home to France a week later – with a quad injury but was hoping to be fit again in time for their 30-21 Calcutta Cup win at home to England on Saturday, February 24, at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium only to then be hit by the groin issue now threatening to end his season.

Those latest injuries followed a hip problem sustained during the Scots’ 36-14 loss to Ireland in October at last year’s Rugby World Cup in France that kept him out of action for Edinburgh until December and the knee ligament damage that dashed his hopes of playing in 2023’s Six Nations.

“They have been different injuries,” explained Everitt.

“When he came out of the world cup, he had to have an object removed from his knee.

“It is just unfortunate for him that it has been a string of injuries in a row, and sometimes players go through that.

“Fortunately for Darcy, these injuries are reparable and we will see him back to his best this season.

“We really feel for Darcy because he is a player that puts his heart and soul into rugby.

“He loves playing for this club and he is a proud Scotsman who takes great pride in representing his country.

“When he went down with that injury the other week, he was really training well and looking forward to being in contention against England, so one can imagine the disappointment that he’s going through at the moment, but we’re also aware that in the game we’re in, these things happen.

“It's the nature of the sport. He accepts what needs to be done and he’ll be very relieved when he’s back to full fitness and doesn’t have to carry these niggles with him throughout the season.”

Everitt blames bad luck for the injuries that have plagued Graham, at Edinburgh since 2017, over the last year, saying: “It is just that he is a competitive human being, so when he is out on the field, he gives everything that he can, and how you see him play on a Saturday is how he trains during the week.

“He is an explosive athlete, as we all know, and he’s got good feet, so he is at risk of getting injuries.

“I think it is bad luck. I have coached many players in the past who are just injury-prone and sometimes it goes away after a period of time.

“I just feel it is important that at this stage in his career that he gets time to sort out the niggles he has been carrying over a period of time.

“We all know the pressures of the world cup, the pressure that was on him to play in that tournament and get the best possible result, but there is an opportunity now for Darcy to use this time to get better and, if need be, take the rest of this season plus the pre-season to build himself up into top form.

“Darcy is 26 years old. We’ve signed him long term at the club.

“We all know that he is world class when he is on top of his game, so it is vitally important for him as an individual that we look after his wellbeing other than the physical side of his performance. A player who is in a good state of mind and injury-free is a player who is going to perform week in and week out.

“We’ve got every confidence Darcy will work his way back from his surgery with the same drive and determination with which he trains and plays.”

Graham’s absence from international duty over recebnt weeks has seen fellow Edinburgh winger Duhan van der Merwe overtake him in Scotland’s list of all-time top try-scorers.

His tally of 24 tries since 2018 was previously second, jointly with Ian Smith and Hawick’s Tony Stanger, only to fellow ex-Green Stuart Hogg’s record of 27 in 100 appearances, but the South African 28-year-old’s hat-trick for head coach Gregor Townsend’s side against England saw him go past Graham, Stanger and Smith with 26 in 37 appearances, just one off Hogg’s total.