Edinburgh’s preparations for the new Vodacom URC season have been hit hard, with two new signings sustaining serious injuries in a pre-season friendly against Ulster.
Scottish-qualified prop Rhys Litterick, who joined from Cardiff, ruptured his Achilles tendon in the first quarter in Belfast. The 26-year-old tighthead faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines, though the club is still awaiting a full prognosis.
Centre Charlie McCaig, recruited from the Exeter Chiefs, also suffered a knee injury on his debut. Edinburgh were already without Mosese Tuipulotu until December after knee surgery, further depleting their midfield options.
“Yeah, it’s a bit of a coach’s nightmare when you’re going to a friendly and you have two serious injuries like that,” said coach Sean Everitt.
“Unfortunately, Rhys has an Achilles rupture. We don’t know how long he’ll be out at this stage … we’ll get the surgeon’s opinion and take it from there. We’re still waiting for more on Charlie’s knee injury.”
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Despite the setbacks, Everitt ruled out bringing in reinforcements. With Paul Hill back to full fitness and D’Arcy Rae and Angus Williams available, the coach is confident his squad can cope. Scotland U20 prop Ollie Blyth-Lafferty may also be fast-tracked.
“Fortunately, we have five tighthead props,” said Everitt. “We’re happy where Ollie is from a set-piece point of view. It’s a great opportunity for him to step up.”
Edinburgh’s injury list has now stretched to 11 players. Ben Muncaster (back) will miss at least the opening URC clash against Zebre, while Ben Healy is still sidelined with a knee problem.
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On the positive side, Lions trio Duhan van der Merwe, Darcy Graham and Pierre Schoeman will sit out this week’s warm-up games against Doncaster and Ealing, but could all feature in the URC opener. Graham, recovering from an ankle injury on his Lions debut, is ahead of schedule.
“Our target was to get him back for the first URC game,” said Everitt. “He’s coming through rather quickly now and will join parts of training on Thursday.”
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