Gregor Townsend expressed sympathy for Dave Cherry after the veteran hooker’s first World Cup was dropped at a untimely finish following a fall down the steps at Scotland’s crew lodge.
It emerged on Thursday that the 32-year-old had withdrawn from the squad with concussion after he took a tumble and banged his head on the Scots’ match base close to Nice on Monday whereas the gamers had been having fun with some down time with their households.
The earlier day, Cherry had performed his first World Cup match as a second-half alternative for George Turner within the 18-3 defeat by world champions South Africa in Marseille.
The Edinburgh hooker flew out of France on Thursday to return residence, the place his fiancée Olivia is because of give start within the coming weeks.
Stuart McInally – minimize from the provisional coaching squad final month – has been drafted in as Cherry’s alternative.
“It’s very difficult for Dave, and it’s sad,” head coach Townsend stated at a media briefing in Nice on Thursday.
“At least he got to play in a game. His wife’s just about to give birth so at least he’s got something positive to go back to. He did well to get himself into the World Cup squad and he did well at the weekend. He would have had more involvement as we went through the pool.”
Cherry’s misfortune has paved the way in which for a exceptional profession swansong for McInally. The 33-year-old introduced in April that he could be retiring from rugby after the World Cup to pursue a profession as an airline pilot.
McInally was a part of Townsend’s 41-man provisional coaching group for the match, however the head coach then omitted him when he named his remaining 33-man squad in August, seemingly ending the profession of the person who captained the Scots on the final World Cup in Japan.
Access limitless streaming of films and TV reveals with Amazon Prime Video
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial
Sign up
Access limitless streaming of films and TV reveals with Amazon Prime Video
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial
Sign up
However, the long-serving Edinburgh ahead was invited out to France final week to supply cowl after hooker Ewan Ashman sustained a head knock in coaching and he attended Sunday’s match in Marseille earlier than being instructed his providers had been now not required and flying residence on Monday.
McInally’s roller-coaster summer season then took one other twist when he was summoned again to the south of France on Wednesday.
“He’s been called out twice now,” stated Townsend, reflecting on whirlwind interval for the veteran.
“On Monday I was chatting to him back at the hotel and I said ‘you can stay until tomorrow or go back today, it looks like Ewan is on track to make a full recovery, so there’s no reason to stay’.
“And then he came back out two days later and he’s trained today. He’s obviously kept training, he’s been topping up (his fitness) and he’s always said he’d be ready for the opportunity. Maybe he would have been thinking that would have happened last week, but it’s now happened for him.
“Stuart is a very experienced player for us. He’s obviously been at World Cups before and had trained really well throughout the (pre-tournament) camp and had played well so we’re fortunate that we have someone with his experience and quality to step in.”
The Scots skilled on Thursday for the primary time Sunday’s bruising encounter with South Africa and Townsend was happy to see Finn Russell come by way of the session after the talismanic stand-off took a few heavy hits towards the Boks, certainly one of which required prolonged on-field remedy.
George Horne and Ashman additionally took half after concussion dominated them out of rivalry for the opening recreation and the pair are on monitor to return to the fold for the following match towards Tonga in Nice on Sunday week.
“Yes, Finn trained,” stated Townsend. “There were two guys with red bibs on (George Horne and Ewan Ashman) today. It was a non-contact session although we did do a contact element.
“The two guys with red bibs on didn’t do that (contact element) but Finn wasn’t in a red bib which means he’s obviously able to do some sort of contact, which is a good recovery. He did the whole session.”
The solely participant who missed coaching on Thursday was back-rower Luke Crosbie, who was dominated out final weekend with a rib drawback.
“Luke is on track, he’s just ill today,” reported the pinnacle coach. “He trained on Tuesday morning with the physios. He’s now fully available for selection, but overnight he had a stomach complaint so that’s why he wasn’t training today.
“The other two (Horne and Ashman) came through the session fine and their next stage is to add contact which will be tomorrow. Ali Price went off (the training pitch) as a precaution with a tight groin, but I don’t think it will be anything serious.”
The Scotland gamers had three days off following Sunday’s defeat by South Africa, with the gamers’ households invited into the camp.
Townsend is adamant there can be no hangover from their opening-weekend setback as they construct in direction of the Tonga showdown.
“I don’t think morale was ever affected,” he stated when requested if he felt the quick break was helpful to the gamers.
“We knew this would be an opportunity to spend time with families because our next games (after Tonga) are pretty much game then into six or seven-day turnarounds, so it will be quickly into that process.
“We saw the families all together in the hotel for the last two or three days and that was really good, but the mindset they came in to train with today was excellent.
“They worked really hard. That was a tough session, tomorrow’s will be tough again, and Sunday’s will be tough. We know we’ve got an opportunity now to push things a bit harder and then we get back into a normal Test week, which starts on Tuesday for us.”
