Wales to reassess injured players after taking on Namibia - Rugby World Cup News
Welsh management is likely to reassess their seasoned pair, Dan Lydiate and James Hook, after playing a match against Namibia on September 26 in New Plymouth. The players have been suffering with various injuries since the team’s previous battle against
Samoa. Wales’ assistant coach, Robin McBryde, told the media on September 21 that the injured pair would re-evaluated for fitness after the Namibia encounter.
Wales bagged their first victory in the ongoing world showpiece against the pacific nation side last Sunday but sustained major blows. It was a crucial match for Wales after being thrashed by defending champion Springboks by a slight margin of 17-16 on September
11. James Hook received an injury to the shoulder, whereas Dan Lydiate got a severe blow to his ankle.
Talking to the journalists, Wales’ assistant coach Robin McBryde said that they will not make any hasty decisions regarding the fitness of the players and will give them the maximum time to overcome their problems. He added that, “We are just going to use
as much time as we've got to find out a little bit more about Dan and James to give them as much time as possible. We haven't got to rush into any sort of decision. We have got players who can cover the back-row.”
McBryde told the media that they have real depth in their squad and they are facing no problems in replacing the important pair. He added that, “Lock Alun-Wyn Jones could move into the back-row, he is a realistic option for us. We are not down to the bare
bones yet. The medical team are working around the clock, and Dan is getting up every two hours, icing his foot.”
James Hook and Dan Lydiate are both key members for the Welsh side since they are playing in their national side respectively from 2008 and 2009. James Hook has represented Wales on 56 occasions and earned 320 points for his side. The other injured players
Lydiate has played 16 tests for his team.
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