Wales sweat on Patchell after latest head injury

Having spent long spells last season off the field battling concussion, Rhys Patchell’s latest blow to the head could hardly have come at a worse time with Wales flying to Japan next week.

Patchell was forced off after 23 minutes yesterday in Dublin for a head injury assessment, after being trampled by a CJ Stander carry in the build-up to Ireland’s opening try. He did not return, replaced earlier than planned by first-choice fly-half Dan Biggar.

“Just an HIA. He’ll be assessed over the next few days,” said Wales head coach Warren Gatland. “He seemed OK in the changing room. He’ll be fine for the World Cup. We’ll talk to the medics about that and see how he is in the next few days.”

Patchell impressed the previous week in Cardiff after coming off the bench, with a display that seemed to edge him ahead of Jarrod Evans in the pecking order at No10 behind Dan Biggar, who was rested.

But now Patchell will have to go through the return-to-play protocols to prove his fitness, leaving Wales in a difficult position given that the squad fly to the World Cup on Wednesday.

Accounting for Patchell’s concussion history, his withdrawal here will be concerning. He was concussed in September ahead of a stop-start season. A second concussion followed, and a hamstring injury.

In 2015, he suffered such a heavy concussion that he lost 48 hours of memory, following an incident for which Ulster No 8 Nick Williams received an eight-week ban. “When I came back from getting ‘sparked’ in 2015, I didn’t really start feeling like I was myself on the field until about six months later,” Patchell said this week ahead of his seventh Test start.

Biggar’s appearance yesterday was eventful. He was denied a long-range interception try by a double tackle from Robbie Henshaw and Rob Kearney, and was then overheard admitting to referee Mathieu Raynal that he had failed to ground the ball.

Wales are already without fly-half Gareth Anscombe, one of their best players in the Grand Slam season. Flyhalf options outside of the current World Cup squad are thin. Bath’s Rhys Priestland and Dragons No 10 Sam Davies, two potential candidates, have not been capped since 2017.

Patchell’s opposite man, Johnny Sexton, came through his first warm-up match, despite receiving some punishing tackles, one in particular from Wales lock Jake Ball which left him on the ground holding his ribs.