Scotland receives a 'mixed bag' of news ahead of Bok face-off

NEWS: Scotland suffered a significant injury setback ahead of their year-end face-off with World Champions South Africa.

Darcy Graham will miss Scotland’s Test against the Springboks on Sunday after the wing failed to pass head injury protocols.

Graham came off in the closing stages of last Saturday’s 57-17 win over Fiji, following a head injury suffered while scoring his fourth try of the game.

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend confirmed on Tuesday that Graham will not feature against the Springboks at Murrayfield this weekend.

In a boost for Townsend, Kyle Rowe, a contender to replace Graham on the wing, could be available despite suffering a hamstring injury against Fiji.

“Yes, it’s mixed news, so the good news is that Kyle Rowe is much better than expected,” Townsend said.

“We literally got his scan results back in the last hour, so he has a chance for this week, so we’re not ruling him out for this week, and that means we’re not ruling him out for the tournament, which is positive.

“We all felt after the game that with a hamstring injury, it could be him missing the next few games, but no, he’s recovering well, and the scan provided positive news.

“Darcy, unfortunately, failed his HIA2 [Head Injury Assessment] and his HIA3, so he’ll be ruled out for this weekend.”

Toulon scrumhalf Ben White, Toulouse fullback Blair Kinghorn and Bath flyhalf Finn Russell are all available for Sunday after missing the Fiji game as it took place outside the international window.

Townsend refused to be drawn on the case of Stuart Hogg, the 32-year-old former Scotland captain who pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of abusing his estranged wife over the course of five years.

“I’m not going to comment on any specific cases, especially one that’s still ongoing, but on behalf of Scottish Rugby, we condemn any abuse, whether that’s domestic, online, social, and that’s something we feel strongly about,” said Townsend.