Richard Hibbard was forced off midway through the second half in Cardiff Richard Hibbard has emerged as another major injury worry for Wales ahead of the World Cup.
The Ospreys hooker started Saturday's 28-13 win over Argentina in their final warm-up match but limped off with suspected ankle ligament damage.
Captain Matthew Rees has already been ruled out with a neck injury.
That could leave Wales with just three fit hookers - Huw Bennett, Ken Owens and Lloyd Burns - when coach Warren Gatland names a 30-man squad on Monday.
Wales, who face South Africa in their opening game on 11 September, also have injury worries over prop Gethin Jenkins and fly-half Stephen Jones.
Head coach Gatland will reveal his squad during a midday press conference at the Millennium Stadium on Monday.
'Rusty' Wales leaves Gatland with selection dilemma
Cardiff Blues scrum-half Lloyd Williams is hoping he has done enough to secure his place among the 30 players.
Williams made his debut as a replacement during the second half of the game against the Pumas, replacing man of the match Tavis Knoyle.
"We're all keeping our fingers crossed," Williams told BBC Sport Wales.
Bayonne-bound Mike Phillips started the two games against England, with Scarlets' Knoyle given the nod against Argentina in the number nine shirt.
With Sale's Dwayne Peel seemingly out of the equation, Williams will have to wait to discover how many specialist scrum-halves Gatland selects for New Zealand.
Gatland's main selection debates appear to be in the back row and his final split of forwards and backs, whether he goes with a 17-13 combination or 16-14.
"I'm really hoping they're going to take three and hopefully I did enough to convince them," Williams said after the Argentina game.
"Tavis [Knoyle] played very well and Mike [Phillips] did the previous weeks."
- v South Africa: 11 Sept, Wellington
- v Samoa: 18 Sept, Hamilton
- v Namibia: 26 Sept, New Plymouth
- v Fiji: 02 Oct, Hamilton
Securing a place on the plane to New Zealand would round off a memorable few months for 21-year-old Williams, who started six games for the Blues last season.
In June he played against Wales for the Barbarians before he was added to the preliminary World Cup squad after Phillips was suspended for a period after a late-night incident in Cardiff city centre.
Having taken full advantage of his opportunity, Williams enjoyed his first experience with the national squad.
"I'm really pleased to be involved with it now and just try and live it and make the most of it," added the son of former Wales and British & Irish Lions scrum-half Brynmor Williams.
"I wouldn't have expected this a couple of months ago, that's for sure.
"It was surreal coming to the stadium [after] being announced in the squad for the first time.
"I was just looking forward to it at the start of the day and trying to enjoy the whole day. I was really honoured to come on at the end for 20 minutes."
The victory over Argentina completed Wales's World Cup preparations.
"[It was] a bit of a slow start but we gained momentum then towards the end of the first half and progressed through the second half," said Williams.
"Everyone's really pleased with our performances and all the hard work's paid off."
Rugby News golf news magazine CNN Sports Uk cricket wireless news CNN cricket highlights
No comments:
Post a Comment