‘It would have been nice if the game had finished 30 seconds earlier’ Blues and Wales star Ellis Jenkins on the injury that may have ended his season
WALES star Ellis Jenkins has admitted that he struggled to hold back his emotions in the bowels of the Principality Stadium after suffering a suspected ACL injury on Saturday evening.
The 25-year-old has undergone initial scans but is yet to discover the full extent of the injury and has no time frame for a recovery as he waits to see a knee specialist in London.
In the closing moments of Wales’ 20-11 victory over South Africa on Saturday, Jenkins fell awkwardly as he was cleared out of a ruck by two Springboks.
He was carted from the field after the final whistle inhaling painkilling gas - and now faces a race to be fit in time for the Rugby World Cup - but it wasn’t the pain that made his eyes water
It was only when he had to speak to anyone, be it team-mates, management or family, that his emotions almost overcame him.
“There’s nothing you can say,” said Jenkins, “any time anyone came up to me and gave me a hug or tried to say something nice I almost started crying.
“So I just sort of said ‘I know what you’re going to say.’
“It’s just terrible luck I guess. It’s nice that everyone says congratulations and stuff but it’s tough to think about when you get a serious injury at the end of the game.
He added: “My phone’s been blowing up since. My family were just worried really.
“Everyone’s been saying well done and that they hope things aren’t too bad. It’s nice to receive all the messages but still, it’s bittersweet.
“When you feel like you’re playing well, you want to keep going.”
Some of Warren Gatland’s men may have been enjoying a wellearned beer on Saturday night but Jenkins’ evening was a little different.
“I just went straight home - ice, painkillers and Domino’s pizza!” He laughed.
Just a few days on from the incident, Jenkins hasn’t had much time to wrap his head around the events of Saturday evening.
However, not the squeamish type, he has watched the incident back and adopts a philosophical approach to it.
“It would be nice if the game had finished thirty seconds earlier,” he said, speaking at a charity event for the City Hospice just days after his injury.
“My foot has just got stuck. There are two big boys who have tried cleaning me out. I guess I’m a little bit tired at the end of the game as well and maybe not in as strong a position I should have been in. It’s one of those things.
“It’s part of the game unfortunately.
“It is tough to look back on it now when it finishes like that but I suppose in time I will look back on it and say it was a good autumn campaign.”
It was a rollercoaster 48 hours for Jenkins, who wasn’t named in the initial starting XV until late on Saturday following an elbow injury to Dan Lydiate.
Jenkins, usually an openside, was then asked to play blindside but after just 11 minutes, he had to switch to No.8 after Ross Moriarty was forced off the field with concussion.
“I sat down for dinner with Lyds on Thursday night and he said he was going for a scan on Friday morning,” recalled Jenkins.
“Coming down for breakfast on Friday before the team run and Aaron Wainwright said he was on the bench and I was starting.
“You want to play every game anyway, I was hoping to have been starting but they rewarded the team that went well against Australia.
“I just saw it as another opportunity to try and stake a claim for the jersey.
“It was nice to get another chance against South Africa. I ended up playing number eight when Ross went off.
“It is something I am quite comfortable doing if needs be and I have filled in for the Blues over the years.”
He put in a stunning performance and was named man of the match, placing himself on everyone’s radar as a serious contender for Wales’ 2019 World Cup squad.
Making that squad will remain his goal until somebody tells him it’s impossible.
For now, though, he can only attempt to reduce the swelling around the injured joint as he waits to discover his fate.