George Furbank is set to be stood down after suffering a nasty head injury less than a minute into his Harlequins debut.
The England international’s first appearance for his new club lasted just seconds after he was caught by a stray knee against Edinburgh at The Stoop.
Furbank was making his first carry in Quins colours when the incident happened.
Reports from the ground stated that the 29-year-old was knocked out in the collision and required lengthy treatment before being replaced by Argentina international Rodrigo Isgro.
Mail Sport rugby correspondent Nik Simon reported that the incident happened around 70 seconds into Furbank’s debut, while other reports put the time at just 46 seconds.
Either way, it was a nightmare start to life at his new club.
Furbank completed his move from Northampton Saints to Harlequins this summer after spending his entire senior career at Franklin’s Gardens.
Furbank set to miss Bath opener
The timing could hardly be worse.
Harlequins begin their Gallagher PREM campaign against Bath at The Stoop on Friday, September 25, just seven days after Furbank suffered the injury.
The full-back is now set to be stood down under rugby’s concussion return-to-play protocols.
Loss of consciousness is among the signs that lead to a player being immediately and permanently removed from a match under World Rugby’s concussion protocols.
Players must then work through a graduated return-to-play process before being cleared for competitive action.
Given the short turnaround, Furbank is therefore set to miss the season opener against Bath.
Harlequins have yet to provide a detailed update on his condition.
Rotten injury run continues
The setback continues what has been a desperately frustrating period for Furbank.
He has been limited to just 25 club appearances across the previous two seasons after suffering a string of injury problems.
A broken arm kept him out for a lengthy spell, while calf and knee issues have also interrupted his rugby.
His hopes of rebuilding momentum with England were then hit earlier this year when appendicitis forced him to miss the Nations Championship opener against South Africa.
The move to Harlequins was supposed to provide the 29-year-old with a fresh start.
Speaking after his switch was announced, Furbank admitted leaving Northampton after such a long association with the club would take him outside his comfort zone.
“I have been at Saints since I was 14-15 years old so it will be a different challenge, but I am keen to step out of my comfort zone,” he said.
“I am hoping playing with a new group and under new coaching staff is going to be refreshing and take my game to a new level.”
His debut came as Harlequins welcomed several of their international stars back into the side, with Marcus Smith, Cadan Murley and Chandler Cunningham-South also involved against Edinburgh.
Quins eventually won 33-19, but Furbank’s latest setback leaves them without one of their major summer additions heading into the opening weekend of the PREM season.
