The Bath Rugby winger injured his shoulder in the 11-9 defeat to Sale Sharks on Friday night
Ruaridh McConnochie, the former England international winger, had a painful shoulder injury during Bath Rugby’s tight 11-9 loss to Sale Sharks on Friday night, and Johann van Graan is worried that he may have to miss more time due to injury.
When McConnochie, 32, engaged in a ruck with Sale flanker Ben Curry, he dislocated his left shoulder.
to attempt securing the ball after Will Butt made a powerful run. Two minutes before halftime, Orlando Bailey took the winger’s place after receiving treatment on the field. After the game, Bath rugby head coach Van Graan told SomersetLive in the Salford Stadium, “It is not good.” It appears that he suffered a dislocated shoulder.
“This week, we’ll take him to a specialist to determine the best course of action for him.”Although I’m not an expert in medicine, it looks like this could be the same as what happened to GJ van Velze and Josh McNally last season, so it will take some time. Nevertheless, we will take our time, get the scan, and seek the specialist’s advice.
“When Ruaridh got hurt, it was definitely a straight replacement.”
McConnochie, a former sevens standout and 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist, has been injured in the last few years, limiting his playing time due to severe injuries to his knee and shoulder.
The controversial international allegiance switch involving McConnochie, who has two caps for England dating back to 2019, occurred earlier this year. Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend brought the Blue, Black, and White winger into his camp ahead of the 2023 Six Nations and in preparation for the World Cup. Despite this, McConnochie has yet to be included in a matchday squad.
McConnochie is regarded as one of the leaders in the Bath squad and represents the Blue, Black, and Whites on the RPA Players Board, despite the fact that he is now not the team’s first-choice winger after falling below Will Muir and Joe Cokanasiga in the rankings.
With Bath fielding a smaller team this season, McConnochie’s absence will surely limit van Graan’s frontline options on the wing; nevertheless, the adaptable Will Butt, Tom de Glanville, and Matt Gallagher can step in if needed.
