Wales and Ospreys Scrum Half, Mike Phillips will miss the Autumn Internationals and December Heineken Cup fixtures, after being ruled out for up to 12 weeks with an ankle injury.
In an official statement, Chris Towers, the club physio said: “Mike had a scan on monday, which was then reviewed with the specialist, who confirmed ligament damage to the distal tib/fib joint, it is fair to say that Mike has suffered considerable ligament damage, and the best-case scenario would probably see him sidelined in the region of 10/12 weeks.”
The lions star came off the field after 33 minutes during the Ospreys win over Clermont Auvergne at the weekend, and the scan on Monday revealed the damage.
This came alongside the news that Jamie Nutbrown is also out for 10 weeks after sustaining a knee injury, leaving the Ospreys in a scrum half crisis. Tom Isaacs is the only other registered Ospreys scrum half for the Heineken Cup, so what would happen if he was to become another victim of the ever growing injury list?
Shane Williams in the past has filled the position temporarily in games, but his inexperience in the position could be costly for the Ospreys European campaign. Without a decent scrum half a team’s cohesion seriously lacks. Do we need to be reminded about the appalling gamble that Italian head coach Nick Mallet took in this years 6 nations? Flanker Mauro Bergamasco was put in the specialist position and had a total nightmare at best. His passing was erratic and rarely on target prompting an early exit for battered fly half Marcato.
Wales, however have a slightly less concerning situation with regards to their scrum-halfs. Warren Gatland can now choose from Sale’s Dwayne Peel, Cardiff Blues’ 9 Gareth Cooper and the Scarlets’ Martin Roberts. However the welsh concern will lay in the replacements for prop Adam Jones and Lee Bryne, who have both unwillingly taken the long term injury invite.
Wales begin their 4 match Autumn International campaign against New Zealand in Cardiff on the 7th November, followed by fixtures against Samoa, Argentina and Australia
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