Scotland's injury woes deepen after loss to Ireland

Scotland’s Six Nations campaign took a hit as co-captain Finn Russell and winger Darcy Graham were forced off due to a head clash in their 32-18 loss to Ireland at Murrayfield.

The injuries disrupted Scotland’s momentum as they struggled against an Ireland side chasing their third consecutive championship title.

The collision occurred in the 22nd minute, as Russell and Graham collided while attempting to tackle Ireland scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park.

While Russell managed to walk off for a head injury assessment (HIA), Graham required prolonged medical attention before being stretchered off for further evaluation at a hospital.

Speaking after the match, head coach Gregor Townsend provided an update on both players, indicating that Russell’s condition was better than initially feared.

"Finn [Russell] is fine," said Townsend. "He actually passed his HIA, but our staff sensed he wasn’t totally aware of what was going on, so we made the call to not put him back on."

Regarding Graham’s condition, Townsend added, "Darcy [Graham] is at the hospital now. I’ve not had an update. I think everything was okay with his neck, but they were checking out concussion."

The forced substitutions meant Stafford McDowall and Jamie Dobie came off the bench, while Tom Jordan shifted to fly-half to cover for Russell. The backline reshuffle made an already challenging match even tougher for the Scots.

Scotland’s problems were compounded when Duhan van der Merwe received an early yellow card for an off-the-ball challenge on Ireland winger Calvin Nash.

Playing with a man down made it difficult for the hosts to regain control, and Ireland capitalized, surging to a 17-0 lead before sealing the victory with four tries.

"The yellow card made it tough for us to get back in the game. Then the injuries disrupted things," Townsend admitted.

Scotland, who had started their Six Nations campaign with a 31-19 victory over Italy, saw their title ambitions take a major blow with this defeat. Meanwhile, Ireland continued their unbeaten run, moving one step closer to a historic third consecutive Six Nations title.

"They [Ireland] had the ball, and they scored," Townsend said, reflecting on Scotland’s defensive struggles.