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Johann van Graan discovered it England fullback Sam Underhill suffered a torn biceps in last Friday’s 33-17 win at Harlequins and he will be operated on on Thursday.
Underhill was substituted after 48 minutes at the Twickenham Stoop and a worried van Graan rushed to the tunnel to check on the unfortunate player, later admitting the injury looked “potentially serious”.
Now his worst fears have been confirmed, with Underhill’s latest setback likely to cost him three months of rugby, including England Nations Championship campaign in November.
“There are a few types of injuries that I want to know about right away because I know what the longer-term impact is going to be, and I always feel for the players, so that’s why I went straight down (to the tunnel),” he said during this week’s media session.
“At that time it was very much, ‘look, we have to wait for the scan, but this could be a biceps tear.’
“It’s obviously a couple of months out, so it’s not ideal from Sam’s point of view. But as with any player who gets injured at this club, we’ll do our best to get him back as soon as possible.”
Van Graan added: “It’s always disappointing for any player when you get injured in the first round because you’ve just had a big pre-season and you’re just starting. But injuries are a part of this game and Sam has had a few big ones, and I’m sure he’ll be back as soon as possible, and we’re looking forward to welcoming him back, whether it’s in December or January.”
Meanwhile, van Graan has confirmed that veteran winger Tom Dunn is available for selection, while a decision on winger Henry Arundel will be made later in the week.
The England international missed the Harlequins match due to a back complaint. “Henry was part of training today,” confirmed van Graan.
“He’s struggling with his back a bit so he’ll make a decision later in the week whether he’ll play on Friday night.
“If you get 7-1 or 6-2 you want to make sure your back can stay on the pitch for 80 minutes and, at the end of the day, we don’t want to put a player on the pitch who isn’t 100% right. So we’ll see how he goes through the week.
“Obviously he is a very important player for us, but if he is not 100%, we will support our team as we have done before.”
One piece of good news is that captain and first scrum-half Ben Spencer has returned to training and will be available for selection in mid-October.”
