Scotland have suffered a major blow after Jack Dempsey, Jamie Ritchie and Jamie Dobie were all ruled out of the rest of the Six Nations due to injury.
The trio picked up injuries in Scotland’s emphatic victory over England at Murrayfield last weekend, with head coach Gregor Townsend admitting afterwards that all three looked ‘serious’.
Dempsey [bicep], Ritchie [knee] and Dobie [shoulder] have returned to their clubs for further assessment, and Scotland assistant coach Pete Horne admitted it was unlikely they will play any further part in the championship.
The Scots are currently in Spain for a warm-weather training camp, before travelling to Cardiff for their clash with Wales in round three of the tournament on Saturday.
Asked if all three injured stars will miss the rest of the campaign, Horne said: ‘It’s looking that way, which is unfortunate. They’ve all gone back to their clubs. They’ll be assessed there and, if there is an outside chance of them getting back involved, then great, they’ll link back up with us in the last week or so. But I can’t see it, to be honest.
‘It’s a brutal game, Test match rugby. It’s so physical now, the collisions, the size of these boys, the physicality that’s involved. Demmo [Dempsey] actually summed it up really well in the first week. He was talking about how everyone around the table has to be ready to go at a moment’s notice because there’s going to be injuries. It’s Sod’s law that he was one of them.’
Jack Dempsey has been ruled out for remainder of Six Nations with a bicep injury
Dempsey (far right) runs with the ball during Scotland’s emphatic victory over England
Horne confirmed that cover will come from the existing squad, adding: ‘It’s an opportunity for three other guys to step up now. And, thankfully, we have a little bit more depth in the squad now than some of the years gone by.
‘It’s devastating to lose them. Three guys in top form who were outstanding at the weekend and have been a big part of the group, both on and off the field.
‘But that’s how new stars are born, isn’t it? So someone else has now has the chance to play their part in the story.
‘There’s plenty of other guys that are ready, who are frothing for the opportunity to step in and be the guy to fill that jersey. So, I can’t see us adding anyone this week.’
Dempsey is now long-established as Scotland’s first-choice No 8, while Ritchie was excellent in the first half against England before having to be replaced. Their absence will enforce a reshuffle in the back row.
Dobie also had a fine game on the wing last Saturday. His injury could open up an opportunity for either Darcy Graham or Duhan van der Merwe, with Blair Kinghorn also back training with the squad.
Jamie Ritchie will also miss the rest of the tournament after picking up a knee injury
Ritchie had scored a fine try against England on his return to the team last Saturday
‘Duhan has proved himself to be a Test match animal for years, so he’s hurting [after being dropped for first two games],’ added Horne.
‘Similar to Blair [Kinghorn], he’s desperate for an opportunity. We’re fully confident that, whoever is coming in, there’s a bit of pressure on as well.
‘They need to perform now. The guys have laid down the marker and it’s on whoever’s now wearing the jersey at the weekend to go out and play well.’
Scotland will be in the unusual position of being strong favourites in Cardiff against a Wales team who have suffered heavy defeats to England and France in the opening two weeks.
But Horne warned it will be no walkover against a team who will be wounded and desperate to produce a reaction.
‘Wales will be in a very similar position to where we were last week,’ he said. ‘They’ll be hurting. They’re a wounded team at the moment and they’ll have that desperation that we had on show last week. So we’ve got to pay them full respect.
‘Wales will be so fired up. Emotion can do incredible things to players. It can completely elevate your game. So we’ll be expecting them to come out of the gate absolutely ripping into us.
‘They’ll have sold more tickets for this one than I’m sure they have for the last few. They’ll have their whole fanbase behind them. They’re a very proud nation. They are tough boys as well, the Welsh lads. They’ll be looking to come in and rip into us, punch us in the face and just keep going at us. We’re really aware of the challenge.’
Jamie Dobie will be another significant absentee after suffering a shoulder injury
Dobie, far left, runs at Fin Smith during Scotland’s pulsating Calcutta Cup triumph
Acknowledging that Scotland are still in the mix to challenge for the title after losing their opener in Rome, Horne added: ‘We’ve just got to be really excited about what’s in front of us now. We were all very aware how big a game [England] was for all of us.
‘I thought the response from the players was outstanding. They doubled down on who they are and who we are as a group. We were really proud.
‘If we’d lost that game, our championship was done. And then it’s really difficult to pick yourself up for this Wales game. Whereas now, we’re absolutely focused on going down to Wales, doing a good job and keeping our championship alive.’
