Harlequins head coach Danny Wilson has confirmed star winger Cadan Murley will miss Harlequins’ crucial game against Bristol Bears this weekend through injury.
The winger came off after just two minutes in their 58-26 defeat to Exeter Chiefs at the weekend, and Wilson has confirmed he has suffered a hamstring injury.
Speaking to the media ahead of the game at Ashton Gate, Wilson said: “Caden’s situation is still ongoing in terms of assessment, but it’s pretty clear that Caden went off with a hamstring quite early in the game and therefore won’t be available this weekend.”
Muley has had a tough year with injuries this season. He has only made 14 appearances for Quins to date, after struggling with both knee and foot issues. Since returning to full fitness though, he has quickly re-established himself as one of Harlequins’ main threats in attack.
“It’s bad for him and it’s bad for us,” Wilson continued. He’s an excellent player, an excellent leader.”
“He’s really disappointed. Cadan’s had his ups and downs with injuries this year, and this one came from nowhere really; it was out of the blue. That hurt us in the game against Exeter because it was early in the game and that meant a real re-jig that we weren’t expecting. It’s a blow for this game anyway, we’ll see where else that leads to.”
Murley is the only known fresh injury in the Quins squad following their defeat at Sandy Park.
Cadan Murley injury leading to backline reshuffle
As Wilson highlighted, Quins had to reshuffle their whole backline following Murley’s injury. Tyrone Green moved across to the wing, Marcus Smith dropped in at fullback and Jarrod Evans came on at fly-half.
The lack of back three cover is a concern for Harlequins at the moment, with Wilson detailing: “He’s an out and out winger. We’ve obviously got injuries in that back three, Nick David and people like that, where we don’t actually have the depth right now; we’re fortunate enough depth to build into this game, but he’s a blow, he’s a loss.”
Wilson’s comments seem to suggest something similar will happen again this weekend. Smith has started at fullback on the international stage at the World Cup, however if selected there it will be his first start in the 15 shirt for Quins.
Oscar Beard is also a potential option to cover Murley on the wing. The 22-year-old has played on the wing before for Harlequins, which could also allow Luke Northmore to return to outside centre after his cameo in the 12 shirt last weekend.
