Mark Bennett to miss part of the season with hamstring injury

Edinburgh Head Coach Richard Cockerill has confirmed that centre Mark Bennett is set to miss part of the season after picking up a hamstring injury in last weekend’s PRO14 match against Ulster.

The 22-times capped Scotland international was stretchered off in the 19^th minute of the 30-29 defeat to the Irish province at the Kingspan Stadium.

“He’ll have a scan today, so we’ll know in the next 24 hours, but clearly it’s something quite significant,” Cockerill explained. “The extent of that we don’t know yet.

“He’s on crutches. At the moment we think – it’s yet to be confirmed – that he has ruptured his hamstring at the very top. Similar to the one Tom Brown had last year. If it is completely ruptured it is a serious injury. If it is what we think it is, it will be months..."

Cockerill also confirmed that Fijian international Bill Mata picked up a shoulder injury in the defeat to Ulster and is questionable for this weekend’s encounter with Connacht at BT Murrayfield.

However, scrum-half, Henry Pyrgos – who was substituted with a leg injury in Friday’s match – has recovered and is in contention for selection.