Jamie Roberts to Go Under the Knife
Wales and Cardiff player, Jamie Roberts, will go under the knife for surgery on an injured wrist.
This news comes as a big blow to Cardiff, which would have been hoping for all of their key players to stay fit in wake of the news that Andy Powell is about to leave the side.
Roberts is a key player in the team who has never had any trouble making an impression on games or keeping his place in the team. His absence will force Cardiff into either trying to find a replacement player at relatively short notice or handing a chance to another member of the squad who may not have been expecting it.
There are big negatives to this move because rehabilitation cannot be rushed after a player has had surgery on the wrist. This is because the wrist has to endure huge pressure during rugby games and the side would risk making the injury worse if they rushed him back.
Blow to Cardiff
This is a very big blow to Cardiff for a number of reasons. With Powell leaving the club, the coaches would have been hoping they could pull all areas of the team together to create a strong nucleus in order to push for the Magners League title next season.
It had not been clear at the end of last season whether Roberts was going to need surgery. The early indications were all positive, meaning that this news would not have been expected. It will put a lot of people on the back foot and they will have to work out quickly how this is going to impact on the team and the squad.
It will be a big personal blow for the player as well. Roberts is the sort of player who would have played through the pain barrier had it been possible, even if he knew something was seriously wrong in his wrist.
Personally
Personally this could set Roberts back a great deal in terms of club and country. He seems like a player who likes to wear his heart on his sleeve and he will take the bad news directly to that heart.
The player that comes into the side in his place will now have an extended run in the team and there is no guarantee at all that Roberts will walk straight back into the team once he has gotten over the wrist surgery.
This also means that his chances of a regular Wales international place will be drastically reduced. The only way for players to get into the Welsh team is to play well over an extended period of time. This is something that Roberts will have to keep in mind once he has overcome the same process in terms of getting back into the Cardiff team.
Betting Advice
Be a little wary of backing Cardiff next season until you know some more about the way they are going to set up. There will have to be a few more players coming into the club because at the moment they are leaking important players.
Roberts will remain a good candidate to score tries and points once he gets fit again. However, his absence from the team will make any attempts for him to score the most points in the league by the end of the season completely pointless. Keep this in mind because it will be a factor, which stops you from wasting money.
Tags: