Scotland hit by Rugby World Cup injury scare
Scotland's Rugby World Cup hopes may have just suffered a major blow as scrumhalf Ben White was forced off the field during their Summer Nations Series clash with France at Murrayfield.
White went down in clear pain after a heavy collision, and initial indications pointed to a lower limb injury of some sort. White's potential absence will be a cause of concern for head coach Gregor Townsend, as he is regarded by many as Scotland's first-choice scrumhalf.
French winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey caught White in the jaw with a swinging arm as the scrumhalf went to ground, but referee Ben O'Keeffe didn't refer it to TMO and the game played on.
White could be seen limping off before later punching the bench in frustration as he sported bandages around his ankle.
In Saturday's World Cup warm-up match, Finn Russell assumed the captaincy for Scotland for the first time. Despite fielding a near-first-choice XV against a second-string French side, Scotland encountered challenges. They made 13 changes to the team that secured victory against Italy, with most of their key players returning to action.
Compounding their worries, skipper Jamie Ritchie was absent due to a minor calf injury. The medical staff remains hopeful that he will recover in time for the rematch between the two teams in Saint Etienne next weekend.
Meanwhile, the French team showed their strength in depth with three debutants, including the impressive Bielle-Biarrey, who played a pivotal role in setting up a scintillating try for Baptiste Couilloud.
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It’s a good, timely wake up call for NZ Rugby (seem to be a few of them lately!) - sort out the bureaucratic nonsense at board level. We can’t expect to stay the number one option without keeping fans/players engaged. We’ve obviously been bleeding players to league for years but can’t let the floodgates open (although I think this headline is hyperbolic as it’s a result of a recent Warriors pathways system where they are tracking things more closely) Understand the need to focus boys on rugby if they’re at a proud rugby school too, don’t think it’s harsh at all re Barakat in Hamilton. Reward the committed players with squad positions. An elite 1st XV system in NZ has done more for league than they even realise, think it’s good to protect our game further.
Go to commentsDon’t pay a blind bit of notice to Lukie… he likes the sound of his own voice and is always looking for something controversial to say. He has been banging on about Leinster's defensive system all season like he knows something Jacques Nienebar doesn’t. Which is the reason why he didn’t apply for the job obviously
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