Edinburgh face URC opener with 14 players injured as backline woes deepen

Edinburgh will begin their United Rugby Championship campaign against Ulster in Belfast next Friday carrying an injury list of 14 players, with head coach Sean Everitt confirming two new backline casualties on Thursday ahead of the season opener.

First-choice full-back Wes Goosen has sustained a hamstring injury that will rule him out for three to four weeks. The 30-year-old, who is set to qualify for Scotland on the five-year residency rule next summer, had started Edinburgh’s opening pre-season fixture against Ulster a fortnight ago before picking up the problem.

Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe was already absent, sidelined until at least mid-October with a recurrence of the ankle issue that has troubled him for the past 18 months. The setbacks leave Edinburgh’s back-three resources stretched heading into a demanding early run of fixtures that also includes home and away games against the Stormers and Zebre.

The situation worsened further when 21-year-old wing Jack Brown, considered a potential cover option for Van der Merwe, sustained a knee injury playing for Edinburgh A against Ealing Trailfinders last Saturday. Everitt confirmed Brown has injured his MCL and is awaiting an orthopaedic consultation to determine the extent of the damage. A fourth back-three player, Malelili Satala, is also currently recovering from an ankle problem.

With Goosen unavailable, Harry Paterson will start at full-back in Friday’s final pre-season game against Harlequins at Twickenham Stoop, with Scotland’s all-time leading try-scorer Darcy Graham making his first appearance of the new campaign.

Nine of Edinburgh’s 14 injured players are Scotland internationals. Lock Grant Gilchrist faces a spell on the sidelines with a torn bicep, while fellow lock Marshall Sykes is due to return to contact training next week following a summer shoulder procedure. Flanker Luke Crosbie, who has not played since last October after serious hamstring surgery, has been tentatively pencilled in for a return within the next three to four weeks, though Everitt stressed the club would remain cautious given the nature of his rehabilitation.

Tighthead prop D’arcy Rae, who started five of Scotland’s 12 Tests last season, could be available within the next two weeks subject to a weekend fitness assessment. At hooker, Ewan Ashman is in contention for the URC opener as he recovers from an Achilles issue, offering some encouragement after Scotland cap Patrick Harrison was ruled out until the new year following back surgery and Dylan Richardson was sidelined with a groin problem.