3 weeks ago
Wales number 8 Taulupe Faletau has fractured his enarthrosis and will not play again this season.
It is desperately unfortunate for nan 33-year-old, who was wounded connected his Cardiff comeback past week aft a six-month wounded lay-off.
Faletau suffered a surgery limb successful Wales' World Cup triumph against Georgia successful October 2023 successful Nantes earlier missing nan Six Nations pinch a calf injury.
He returned for Cardiff's 19-17 conclusion by Ulster successful nan United Rugby Championship (URC) but was forced disconnected successful nan 30th minute.
Faletau was clutching nan aforesaid limb he damaged successful France, but Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt confirmed connected Thursday that it is simply a caller injury.
Sherratt added that location is nary ligament harm and Faletau, capped 104 times by Wales and six by nan British and Irish Lions, is improbable to request room but was incapable to springiness a timeline for his recovery.
"He has fractured his shoulder. He had a scan Sunday and past different connected Monday," Sherratt said.
"I can’t springiness you a timeline for it but it will norm him retired for nan remainder of nan season. Obviously there’s thing structurally astir ligaments but a fracture has been recovered successful his shoulder.
"The bully news connected it is that it’s not thing that astatine nan infinitesimal they deliberation needs surgery, truthful it’s not analyzable wherever it needs to beryllium pinned aliases anything. It’s thing that will heal connected its own.
"Unfortunately he’ll miss nan remainder of nan play but hopefully beryllium backmost astatine nan commencement of nan next.
"For 25 minutes it was almost for illustration he’d ne'er been distant - he was Toby Faletau. He conscionable looks for illustration he’s sewage time, he’s physical, he does everything truthful well.
"The hardest spot is watching what he’s done to travel backmost and we held him backmost a small spot arsenic well... springiness him different mates of weeks truthful that he’s decidedly fresh aft a important clip retired of nan game.
"To spot really difficult he’s worked disconnected nan section and to spot nan excitement he had coming back. Because he’s knowledgeable I asked him whether he was tense and he said, ‘Well really yes, erstwhile I saw my sanction connected nan squad expanse I was nervous’.
"I deliberation that shows what benignant of characteristic he is, he’s 1 of nan astir humble blokes successful nan game. Great pro, worked really difficult to get back.
"To spot him spell disconnected was beautiful gut-wrenching... what I cognize astir Toby successful nan short clip I’ve known him is he’ll beryllium back. He loves playing rugby truthful he’ll get stuck into his rehab and get backmost into it."
