Saracens and Scotland centre Duncan Taylor suffered another major setback in his comeback from injury while playing for Saracens (2nds). This time it is a knee injury, according to the club website:
Scotland international Taylor suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the Premiership Rugby Shield. The 29-year-old is set to see a specialist to assess the full extent of the damage. (saracens.com)
It represents a further blow for the player who was in the papers just last weekend discussing his injury woes both in terms of the body, and also a long undiagnosed migraine issue. In recent years he has had problems with his back, shoulder, knees and head. He only had 6 starts for his club last season – and only 2 of those took place during 2018.
A knee injury like this could have serious implications for his ambitions to play at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. The long term injury that kept Mark Bennett out most of last year was similar although the precise damage to Taylor’s knee is not yet known. Recovery times for similar injuries can be as much as six months and that is in terms of fitness not accounting for the form or sharpness required to get into Saracens first team or a Scotland squad heaving with midfield talent.
Taylor has not featured for Scotland since the 2017 summer tour although he has been in most of Townsend’s training squads since then.
We wish him all the best with his recovery.
17 Responses
Duncan Taylor went off injured in his return A league game last night. No details on the nature of it
Just got posted on BBC sport – ACL injury and currently being assessed. Bit of a bugger though, if it needs surgery that’s 9 months out and he’d barely be back pre World Cup squad announcement.
Honestly think Taylor is set for early retirement.
Anyone heard anything further in CduP’s throat injury? Sounds horrible but I’ve not seen anything saying how it happened.
He’s got a fractured larynx, and by the sounds of it, it was a freak injury-wasn’t even covered on the extended highlights on BT Sport so I haven’t seen how it happened.
Done his ACL…. when’s the guy going to catch a break.
He’s just turned 29 – so many injuries.
Think we need to write him off for Scotland. Such a talent but this generations Tom Phillip I think
Except Philip retired at 22 with 5 caps. Super Dunc is injury plagued but has had a good career despite it.
9 months recovery from an ACL is reasonable… it puts him back about June. RWC kicks off in September but SuperDunc has no time to prove he’s match fit for GT to pick him… If the guy didn’t have bad luck he’d have none
He does have a pedigree though as well as versatility which could make him a useful wild card pick. Likely to depend on how other (currently) fringe centres like say Matt Scott, Mark Bennett or Nick Grigg are playing come the end of the season. Got to think he takes about 4 centres and Jones, Dunbar and Horne are three of them…
Dunbar, Scott, Horne of those remaining. Without ruling out seeing Jones there again. If Dunbar going to be injured and Scott our of favour, would be interested to see if Kinghorn could do a job at inside centre? Assuming Seymour and Maitland are fit. I think Jamie Roberts started out for Wales on the wing / full back…
I genuinely cannot see him looking at Kinghorn as a centre. Lang and Harris are probably still in the mix from Toonys point of view.
“Taylor has not featured for Scotland since the 2016 summer tour…”
Think you meant 2017!
I very probably did!
Feel for the man, awful luck. Looks like Bennett picked us another injury tonight. What’s with Dunbar and Huw Jones at Glasgow, just out of favour? We’ll have Grigg and Sam johnson in the Centre at the World Cup at this rate.
Also any update on Hardie? Last I read Clermont were still not convinced by his physical condition after 3 weeks of trial. A bit worried for him too, hope it’s not another Warburton situation.
Jones had wrist surgery over the summer I think but is expected back in the next couple of weeks from that or whatever else ails him.