DUNCAN Weir, the Edinburgh stand-off, is expected to miss Scotland’s three Autumn Tests after needing surgery on a broken jaw. The 25-year-old, who moved from Glasgow Warriors in the close season, sustained the injury in his team’s defeat by Munster last Saturday and was operated on in Livingston the following day.
Broken jaws normally require a six- to eight-week recovery period, with the precise time out depending on the severity of the injury. Scotland’s first of three Tests is against Australia at Murrayfield on Saturday 12 November, with games the following Saturdays against Argentina (also at Murrayfield) then Georgia at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock.
“Stand-off Duncan Weir sustained a fracture to his jaw [against Munster] and underwent surgery the following day at St John’s Hospital in Livingston,” a statement from Edinburgh Rugby said yesterday. “Weir will face a spell on the sidelines to allow him to recover post-surgery.”
The injury to Weir could mean that Blair Kinghorn is Edinburgh’s only fit fly-half for the Friday-night PRO12 game against Connacht. Phil Burleigh is still several weeks away from resuming training after a shoulder injury, while Jason Tovey has resumed training after a wrist injury but may not be ready for match action. Nineteen-year-old Kinghorn has mainly played full-back for Edinburgh but can slot in easily at No 10.
Tighthead prop is just as problematic a position for the capital side, as Kevin Bryce is now set to be sidelined for a time after injuring his left elbow against Munster. With Simon Berghan having been out since the first match of the season, Edinburgh’s are short of back-up for WP Nel at tighthead. Allan Dell, primarily a loosehead, could again be asked to fill in on the other side of the scrum, having done so following Bryce’s injury. The other option is Nick Beavon, signed from Melrose in the summer on a one-year deal.
Back-row forward Nasi Manu, like Tovey, has resumed training, while hooker George Turner is awaiting a scan on an ankle injury. Every team has injuries, but Edinburgh’s are proving particularly difficult at a time when morale within the camp is far from at its highest following a run of three defeats from four games.
Connacht, the PRO12 champions, are in an even worse position, having lost all three of their games so far. “I feel we’ve maybe got the right game plan to go out and do a job on them,” winger Damien Hoyland said yesterday. “We know what we need to do to beat them, and if we stick to our game I think I can create an opportunity or do something to help the team win.”
Hoyland, who made his own comeback from injury in the loss to Munster, insisted that Alan Solomons, the team’s head coach who is in the final year of his contract, retained the full support of the squad and backroom staff. “The players and all the coaching staff are all behind him 100 per cent and that will never change,” he said. “We are a tight unit – the coaches and the players are all in it together for the long haul.”
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