Edinburgh issue update on Duhan van der Merwe and Marshall Sykes injuries

03/31/2025 05:00 PM

DUHAN VAN DER MERWE is set to sit out Edinburgh’s Challenge Cup tie against the Lions on Friday as a result of the ankle injury he sustained in last week’s league win over the Dragons. The club have been awaiting the results of a scan on the Scotland wing, but earlier today head coach Sean Everitt said that even if the outcome was very positive, he would not take a chance on Van der Merwe this weekend in any case.

"We’ll only get the results back this evening,” Everitt said this afternoon at a Hive Stadium press conference. “And we’ll issue an injury report tomorrow.

"He probably won’t be available this weekend. He’s a bit swollen and we wouldn’t risk him this week anyway. The season’s too long.

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"So we’ll wait for the results and then decide what course of action to follow. Obviously we’re hoping for the best, that it’s not too serious. We’re at an important part of our season now, so we’re just hoping that it isn’t serious and that he can return to training as soon as possible."

Marshall Sykes has also had a scan on a foot injury after he too was forced off in the first half of the Dragons match. Everitt already appears resumed to being without the Scotland lock for a number of weeks. "Like I said on Friday night, he’s got a plantar fascia injury and that does take some time," the coach continued.

"Whether he needs surgery or not, we’re not sure. But we’ll know the details of that later. Also it just depends on the severity of it. Sometimes they require surgery, sometimes it’s a bit of rehabilitation. I’m hoping that it will be between four to six weeks."

Mosese Tuipulotu is not available to face the South Africans because of suspension, while back-row Ben Muncaster and back-three player Harry Paterson are still making their way back from concussion and injury respectively. "Ben is in his final week of return to play,” Everitt said. “We mustn’t forget that this is his second concussion in six weeks, so we’re going to be cautious there too.

"Harry is not in consideration for selection this week. We reintegrated him to training last week and this will be his first week of return to play and he’ll be up for selection next week.

"It’s been tough,” he added, referring to the fact that Paterson has had a number of injuries to deal with in relatively quick succession. “I think he’s got used to it. He’s only played just over a handful of games for us in competitions. It’s been frustrating for the young guy and obviously we’re hoping that he gets over this adversity and it’s made him stronger and obviously more resilient.

"It’s never pleasant to see a player of that calibre sitting on the sidelines and as young as he is going through the injuries that he’s had. Hopefully he’s turned the corner and that’s why we’ve been a little bit cautious on his return."

Emiliano Boffelli, who has only played once since returning from a long-term back injury, could come into consideration for selection if he reacts well to today’s training session. The Argentine international, who strained a hamstring on his return from that injury, is out of contract in the summer. While a fully fit Boffelli would be an asset to any team in the world, Everitt explained that any thought about offering him a new deal would have to wait until he had got a run of games under his belt.

“Boff has gone through training today, so that [selection for Friday] is something that we’ll consider this evening. It's a day-to-day basis. Unfortunately that’s been the history of the injury, that some weeks he’s good and then he wakes up and then there’s been a reaction. So today he took part in most of the training session, which was pleasing, and hopefully tomorrow he’ll be olay."

Asked if he had made a firm decision not to offer Boffelli a new contract, Everitt added: "Not at this stage. We would like to see him get back on the field and we’ve had talks with him with regards to that and he fully understands the situation.

"I think we’re just hoping that he can get on the field and start playing again. Negotiations can happen here at Edinburgh or with other clubs, but at the moment it’s really difficult for him."

The Lions humiliated Edinburgh in Johannesburg earlier in the season when they led 48-0 at half-time in their URC fixture before winning 55-21. And although on Saturday night they were defeated 42-0 by Glasgow, Everitt insisted there was no danger of his underestimating them.

"I think we learned valuable lessons there in the first half against the Lions. We saw Glasgow blitz them as well in the first 40 minutes in really difficult conditions.

"I know the Lions really well and I know the individuals there: they’re fighters. They’ve been good in the URC up until that game so you can’t judge them on that game. They’re a good all-round team.

"The defence was strong and they showed that in the second half against Glasgow, and they’ve got some X-factor players there that can turn the game around very quickly, which we found out in Johannesburg.

"It’s a difficult team to play against, and at the same time I’m sure they’re going to be looking to bounce back, because they probably feel a bit embarrassed about that result.

"That doesn’t change how they play. They’re a team on the up. They’re a bunch of youngsters. They don’t have any fear and they’re willing to mix it with everyone.

“In the URC they’ve got a lot to play for – they’re going home post-EPCR and they’ve got four home games. But they’ll also be keen to get their hands on that trophy [the Challenge Cup] as well."

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