JACO van der Walt will miss Edinburgh’s game against Benetton tomorrow, but should be fit to play for Scotland next weekend, according to Richard Cockerill.
With Adam Hastings suspended from the Ireland game on Sunday 14th as well as the match against Italy six days later, Van der Walt is expected to be selected as back-up stand-off to Finn Russell, as he was for the opening Six Nations matches against England and Wales when Hastings was still making his way back from injury. Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has other options available to him - Harlequins centre James Lang, for example, has recent experience of playing at 10 - but he will still be hoping that the Edinburgh coach’s prognosis is accurate.
“Probably just this week,” Cockerill answered yesterday when asked how long Van der Walt would be out for. “He got a stud on his ankle and had some swelling around his Achilles tendon.
“It has just not gone away. We thought it would, but it hasn’t and he’s just not fit to play. He will be available for somebody next weekend if selected.”
In Cockerill’s ideal world, Van der Walt would be available to play for Edinburgh against Connacht next Saturday, but it is more likely that Nathan Chamberlain will get another run at 10, as he is doing in tomorrow’s PRO14 match at Murrayfield. The Scotland Under-20 international is one of six changes from the team that began last week’s narrow defeat by Scarlets, with another being his half-back partner Charlie Shiel, who comes in at 9 in place of Nic Groom. Henry Pyrgos is on the bench while Groom drops out of the 23.
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Given Wasps scrum-half Ben Vellacott has signed for next season, one of those other 9s is set to leave Edinburgh in the summer, as Cockerill explained. “We’ve got to balance the finances, and one of our senior nines will move on. We’ve brought in a young, Scottish-qualified nine who has got a lot about his game, and the mixture of him with the others that we have will be very good for us.”
The third change in the back division sees Jack Blain take over on the right wing from Darcy Graham, who has been retained by Scotland. In the pack, Dave Cherry starts at hooker after being on the bench last week, while Andrew Davidson is at lock in place of Grant Gilchrist, another who has been kept back by Scotland. Luke Crosbie comes into the back row, with Bill Mata missing out because of a bruised shoulder.
Seven players in all are listed as unavailable because of Scotland duty: Gilchrist, Graham, Duhan van der Merwe, Willem Nel, Jamie Ritchie, Rory Sutherland and Hamish Watson. Cockerill would clearly prefer to have a full squad from which to select, but has been encouraged by the performances of some of the players who have come in to deputise during the Test windows.
“Guys like Jack Blain have done really well - he’s filled a position at full-back and wing and is developing really well,” the coach continued. “Guys like Ally Miller have really stood up and taken his opportunity when he’s had it. And Jamie Hodgson has done well when he has played.
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“There are always positives. There’s a long way to go in the season, I think, so other guys will get opportunities along the way.”
The 25-27 defeat by the Scarlets all but officially ended Edinburgh’s hopes of a top-three finish in PRO14 Conference B and the automatic Champions Cup place that goes with it. But, as nothing is yet set in stone when it comes to European competition next season, and as fourth place has been good enough in seasons past, Cockerill remains hopeful of getting into the premier tournament one way or another.
“We still want to qualify for Europe. No-one can definitively tell me how you do that yet - top three guaranteed, top four could be guaranteed. I’m not sure. We’ve got to keep playing and trying to pick up points. Then when we get to the Rainbow Cup we’ll use that to blood some other guys.”
Edinburgh (v Benetton at BT Murrayfield, tomorrow 3.15pm): D Hoyland; J Blain, J Johnstone, G Taylor, E Sau; N Chamberlain, C Shiel; P Schoeman (captain), D Cherry, L Atalifo, M Bradbury, A Davidson, L Crosbie, A Miller, N Haining. Substitutes: M Willemse, B Venter, S Berghan, A Ferreira, M Kunavula, H Pyrgos, C Savala, M Bennett.
Benetton: J Hayward; A Esposito, J Riera, L Morisi, L Sarto; T Allan, D Duvenage (captain); T Gallo, C Els, I Nemer, I Herbst, E Snyman, D Ruggeri, M Zuliani, R Favretto. Substitutes: G Nicotera, T Baravalle, T Pasquali, M Canali, G Pettinelli, A Sgarbi, L Petrozzi, R Tavuyara.
Referee: S Grove-White (Scotland).
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