MacGinty joins growing Americas injury list

The disabled list continues to grow for Americas fans with AJ MacGinty the latest to suffer serious injury. An awkward fall at a ruck while playing for Sale Sharks against Harlequins on the weekend resulted in the Eagles flyhalf being carried from the pitch after twisting a knee. Early reports suggest he could spend the next few months on the sidelines with an prognosis from the Sharks camp expected later this week.

It’s bad news for all involved with MacGinty in top form at the moment and Sale short of genuine alternatives in the No 10 shirt. The Eagles, remarkably, have decent cover with current second-string Will Magie, top prospect Ben Cima, and newly selected Will Hooley all in contention. Hooley could well be the favorite having played for two Premiership sides and England u20. His decision to opt for the USA is certainly timely.

The Eagles have already qualified for the World Cup so the loss of MacGinty is a little easier to stomach, particularly given even a worst-case recovery time will see him fit to play again in plenty of time for RWC 2019. Others who won’t feature for the USA during the Americas Rugby Championship are prop Eric Fry, out with a herniated disc in his neck, and center Thretton Palamo who has a foot injury. On a positive note Titi Lamositele’s return from his own long-term neck problem appears imminent after he was named in the Eagles squad for the ARC.

Other casualties on the weekend include Facundo Isa and Rodrigo Capó Ortega. Isa was knocked cold in a tackle in the match against Brive and should be out until February at least. Capó Ortega also left the field early for Castres in the match at Agen with a head knock. Los Teros fans will be desperate for a speedy recovery with the World Cup Qualifiers against Canada set to begin on January 27 in Vancouver.

Canada are certainly worse off than Uruguay in the injury department. Aaron Carpenter has been forced into retirement after his latest concussion suffered while on Canada duty against Spain in November. Matt Evans returned from a knee injury last month but only lasted a couple games before damaging a hamstring, with no timetable given for his return. Cornish Pirates teammate Brett Beukeboom is also out with concussion that will be a concern for both club and country.

Also in a race against time to be fit for the qualifiers are Shane O’Leary, Taylor Paris, and Andrew Coe. Paris is recovering from a broken hand and Coe a broken arm, while O’Leary is the most concerning given both his injury and the lack of a comparable alternative at his position. The Ealing flyhalf had ankle reconstruction surgery in early November and started running again a couple days before Christmas.

One who certainly won’t be playing this month is Ciaran Hearn, who had knee surgery just over a month ago. Conor Trainor is another midfielder on the mend who won’t make it in time after rupturing an Achilles in the June tests. He is now six months post-surgery and is eyeing a March return to action.

Chile are on a high heading into the ARC with their sevens program inspiring and an historic November test series behind them. They will almost certainly be without first choice loosehead prop Ramón Ayarza, the Bayonne professional still recovering from a bad hamstring tear suffered in late August. In Claudio Zamorano they have an experienced head to rely on, however, and youngster Vittorio Lastra, who plays his rugby in Italy, showed real promise on the November tour.