Pete Horne has disclosed that Jamie Ritchie, Jamie Dobie, and Jack Dempsey are unlikely to continue in Scotland’s Six Nations campaign after departing the squad due to injuries prior to Saturday’s match against Wales in Cardiff.
The important trio participated in Saturday’s 31-20 Calcutta Cup victory over England at Murrayfield but were all compelled to leave the field before the conclusion.
Perpignan flanker Ritchie incurred a knee injury, Glasgow No. 8 Dempsey exited with a bicep problem, and Glasgow back Dobie suffered shoulder damage.
After the three players returned to their clubs for evaluation, assistant coach Horne — speaking from Scotland’s warm-weather training camp at Oliva Nova, near Valencia — stated on Tuesday that it is probable their participation in this year’s championship has ended.
“It’s looking that way, which is unfortunate,” he remarked. “If there is a slim chance of them rejoining us, then great, they’ll reconnect in the last week or so, but I can’t envision it, to be honest.
“It’s a brutal game, Test match rugby. It’s incredibly physical now, the collisions, the size of these players, the intensity involved. I think Demo [Dempsey] actually articulated it very well in the first week.
“He mentioned how everyone around the table must be prepared to step in at a moment’s notice because injuries will occur, and it’s Sod’s Law that [he] was one of them.
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“It’s devastating to lose them, three players in excellent form. They were exceptional over the weekend and have been significant contributors to the group, both on and off the field.”
Scotland is unlikely to summon any new players to fill the vacancies left by Dempsey, Ritchie, and Dobie.
“No, we’re quite satisfied with the group that we have,” he stated. “Fortunately, we have a bit more depth in the squad now compared to previous years.”
The absence of versatile back Dobie, who started the first two matches on the wing, opens a potential opportunity for Blair Kinghorn to make a return in Cardiff.
The British and Irish Lions player was a surprising exclusion from the 23 for the matches against Italy and England, and returned to France over the weekend to compete for Toulouse in their Top 14 win over Stade Francais.
“Blair arrived back with the squad yesterday, so he trained today with us,” Horne mentioned. “Blair’s a highly skilled player. The competition has obviously been quite intense in that [back-three] area.
“The three players who have participated [Dobie, Kyle Steyn, and Tom Jordan] had the chance against Italy, and we felt they performed well in that match.
“Against England, they also delivered strong performances again. There will be an opportunity for someone with Jamie’s absence, so there will be some rearrangement in the back three.
“We’ll evaluate how training goes tomorrow and make a decision. But Blair’s in good spirits; he’s trained very well over the past couple of weeks.
“He understands that if he is selected this week, he must be prepared to step up and perform.”
