Mixed news for Warren Gatland as World Cup skipper returns while key Wales forward sidelined
Adam-Beard-Wales-Six-Nations-2024-Alamy
Wales have suffered a major setback ahead of their mid-year internationals after experienced second-row Adam Beard was ruled out because of an ankle problem.
The 28-year-old sustained the injury during the Ospreys’ defeat to the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on April 27.
Beard‘s absence is a blow for head coach Warren Gatland as he has been a mainstay in the side, featuring in the Rugby World Cup and this year’s Six Nations.
Beard blow
He is set to miss the South Africa fixture at Twickenham, the two-game series with Australia (Sydney and Melbourne) and a match with the Reds in Brisbane.
“Adam Beard’s not available,” Ospreys boss Toby Booth told the media on Thursday when previewing the URC game against Leinster at the RDS on Saturday.
“He fell out of a lineout and that is quite a distance for him as you can imagine, so he has hurt his ankle. He won’t be around. Jac Morgan‘s back in this week.
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“I can’t see him playing for us for the rest of the year to be fair. That will be difficult for him and probably going to be difficult for him to tour for the summer. So, like all these things you need to get to a certain point before you can give exact timings, but I would have thought months rather than weeks.”
Dafydd Jenkins, Seb Davies, Will Rowlands and Teddy Williams were listed as locks alongside Beard in the 2024 Six Nations campaign when Wales finished last.
Morgan boost
News of Beard’s ankle injury is cushioned slightly by a positive update on the fitness of back-rower Jac Morgan, who is set to return for the Ospreys this weekend.
Morgan hasn’t played since having knee surgery in December 2023, and his comeback would be a significant fillip for a daunting trip to face the Irish province.
Gatland will also be buoyed by the update on his World Cup captain as Morgan skippered Wales to the quarter-final stage of the tournament in France last year.