LEIGH FACING KNEE SURGERY
WALES full-back Leigh Halfpenny will undergo surgery after it was confirmed he suffered damage to the ligaments in his left knee.
The 32-year-old Scarlets star suffered the injury during Wales’s victory over Canada the weekend before last, going down after twisting awkwardly just 30 seconds into his 100th Test match.
It overshadowed what was supposed to be a special day for the man who has been a stalwart in the Wales set-up since making his debut in 2008. A timeline for his return has not yet been set.
“We were devastated,” said Wales attack coach Stephen Jones.
“It was the first time Leigh got the ball in the game. He carried the ball back, and unfortunately he picked up a knee injury which requires surgery. We were all gutted.
“He is such a wonderful player, as we all know, and a fantastic person. It was a tough one for everyone concerned.”
Jones added: “The guy is a fantastic professional. He is a class act.
“The standards he sets in the environment, and how he pushes things forward, he is ambitious to improve all the time.
“You’ve got a player of that manner and a person who is top quality.
“It was a special milestone for a guy who has worked incredibly hard and had an amazing career, and has still got international rugby ahead of him.
“To have to leave the pitch so soon was unfair on him.”
Halfpenny’s left thigh was heavily strapped during the team’s captain’s run the day before the match and during the game itself.
However, Jones insisted that Halfpenny was ready to play in the match, allaying fears that any problem with his thigh could be connected to the injury he suffered to his left knee.
“He’d completed every minute of every training session we’d had,” said Jones.
“He was in a good place. “It’s so unlucky to pick up the injury in the manner he did, the first minute of the game.
“Leigh was in a good place going into the game.”
It’s a bitter blow for Halfpenny, not just because of the circumstances surrounding the injury but because he has suffered a similar one before.
In 2015, in a warm-up game against Italy before the Rugby World Cup, he damaged the ACL in his right knee, which ruled him out of the global tournament.
Wales boss Wayne Pivac backed his player to bounce back from this injury and attack coach Jones echoed those sentiments.
“One thing about Leigh is he is mentally tough,” said Jones.
“He will do everything in his control to make sure he recovers and comes back as soon as he can. He is a superb professional, he will tick every box from that perspective, and it will be nice to have him back with us as soon as we can.”
Posting on social media, Halfpenny said: “Not how I hoped it would go but a special day running out for my country to play my 100th international Test.
“It’s always a huge honour to put on the Wales and Lions jerseys and I have had some incredible memories in both, which I feel extremely grateful for. It was extra special to have our home fans and my family back in the stands and congratulations to all the new caps.”