Shoulder surgery means an autumn return
Bath will start the season without their scrum-half. Ben Spencer has undergone shoulder surgery during the off-season. The club issued a detailed medical update on Monday covering the squad.
The 34-year-old had been carrying the problem since the end of last season. He eventually went under the knife once England’s summer tour was over.
“Ben has had shoulder surgery to address a long-standing issue following England’s summer tour,” the club said. “Ben will not be available for the opening rounds of Gallagher PREM. He will return later in the autumn.”
Steve Borthwick will be keeping a close eye on this one. The Nations Championship block lands in October and the England boss does not exactly have an abundance of settled options at half-back.
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Five more shoulder repairs for the Blue and Black
Spencer is far from the only one. Louie Hennessey, Will Muir, Sam Underhill, Tom Dunn and Tom de Glanville have all gone under the knife on shoulder injuries in recent months. They had all missed the end of last season.
Johann van Graan has at least got some good news. The group are on schedule and will be back in time for the restart.
Archie Griffin is following the same path. The Wales international cut his league season short because of a toe problem. Exploratory surgery was carried out this summer and he is expected back during the opening block of the championship.
Stuart and Coetzee back in full training
Two returns carry real weight. Will Stuart is training normally again after missing most of last season with an Achilles rupture. The tighthead is back among a group that also includes Jaco Coetzee, who is returning from an ACL rupture of his own.
Thompson Cowan and Jack Woods are also closing in on a return to action after respective ACL and hamstring issues.
Then there is Beno Obano. The England loosehead suffered a serious hamstring injury while on international duty against the Springboks. He is working with the club’s medical staff and is still pushing to be ready for the start of the season.
So the treatment room is emptying out at Bath. One name is not on the list, and it happens to be the one van Graan would want most in the opening weeks.
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