Wales wing Josh Adams to miss rest of Six Nations with ankle injury

The prolific Wales wing Josh Adams has been ruled out of his side’s remaining Six Nations games against England and Scotland after suffering an ankle injury against France on Saturday.

Adams, who has scored 10 tries in his last 10 Tests, sustained the problem during his country’s 27-23 loss in Cardiff.

The Welsh Rugby Union confirmed he will miss the remainder of the tournament, adding that he is due to have surgery this week and “could return in 12 weeks for the latter stages of the Guinness Pro14”. The statement added: “No one has been added to the squad.”

It is a huge blow to new Wales head coach Wayne Pivac, given Adams’s sustained excellence that also saw him finish the World Cup earlier this season as tournament top try-scorer. He has claimed 14 touchdowns in his 24-cap Test career and been unquestionably Wales’ most potent attacking weapon during the last year.

It means Wales are without four of the backs who started the grand slam game against Ireland last March – Liam Williams, Jonathan Davies, Adams and Gareth Anscombe. Adams’s fellow wing George North is also doubtful for the match against England on 7 March after sustaining another concussion, this time following an aerial collision with France’s Gaël Fickou. North then failed a head injury assessment, and he is now set to follow graduated return-to-play protocols.

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Johnny McNicholl would be in the running to replace Adams against England and Liam Williams, who has not played since suffering an ankle injury four months ago, could also find himself in the mix as his rehabilitation nears completion. McNicholl has featured in all three of Wales’ Six Nations games in this year’s tournament, including two appearances as a replacement.

However Pivac could also look at the uncapped Gloucester teenager Louis Rees-Zammit, who has made a major impression for his club on domestic and European stages this term.

source: theguardian.com