Liam Williams’ exit from World Cup latest blow to Wales’ semi-final hopes
Liam Williams has been ruled out of the World Cup and will miss Wales’s semi-final with South Africa after the full-back picked up an ankle injury in training. Warren Gatland’s side will take on the Springboks in Yokohama on Sunday, but Williams will not feature. It is a huge blow to Wales’ chances of reaching the last two.
The 28-year-old has emerged as one of the leading full-backs in world rugby in the last year and has been in fine form in Japan. Williams trained with Wales on Wednesday, but it is understood he suffered an ankle problem in that day’s afternoon session after it was closed to the watching media.
Leigh Halfpenny will step in at fullback against South Africa. Head coach Gatland is in his final campaign as Wales head coach, but his team’s prospects of beating the southern hemisphere side have been diminished by injury. Williams will be unavailable, flanker Josh Navidi has already been ruled out with a grade two hamstring tear, and there are real doubts over centres Hadleigh Parkes and Jonathan Davies being fit enough to start. Wales are scheduled to name their team in the early hours of Friday morning. Parkes and Davies have been struggling with hand, shoulder and knee injuries respectively. Davies was a late withdrawal from Wales’ quarter-final win over France and has been training with his left leg heavily strapped for more than a week.
Even if Parkes and Davies do start against South Africa, Wales’s side will have a patched-up feel to it and Williams’ absence will certainly reduce Gatland’s attacking options. The only consolation for Wales fans is that their team has a man of the class of Halfpenny in reserve. With 84 Wales caps and three British & Irish Lions tours under his belt, the 30-year-old Halfpenny is an experienced campaigner, one of the best positional full-backs in the world, and a reliable kicker.