Cuthbert set for a return to Welsh regional rugby
ALEX Cuthbert has been pencilled in for his Welsh rugby reappearance, three-and-a-half years since his last game on the regional scene.
The wing who scored 46 tries in 115 outings for the then named Cardiff Blues is set to be available for the Ospreys when they face Rainbow Cup holders Benetton in Treviso next week.
It will be his first match for a Welsh side since he featured for Cardiff in their 16-10 European Challenge Cup semi-final win over Pau in April 2018.
Cuthbert picked up a hamstring injury towards the end of his subsequent spell with Exeter Chiefs, but he is close to full fitness and expected to be ready for the game in Italy.
“He’s due to be available for selection next week,” reported Ospreys head coach Toby Booth.
“We’re excited about that.
“He’s frustrated. He should have been back for the Cardiff game last weekend but he had a little setback that meant we had to tick off the boxes.
“With his injury profile, we want to try to get him back for good.
“We’re very hopeful of seeing him out there and doing the things he loves to do.
“If he can do that, he’ll have a big influence on games.”
Injuries hampered Cuthbert during his three-year spell with Exeter, restricting him to 31 outings all told and just 10 appearances since November 2019.
But when fit the 47-cap Wales wing is an asset.
He showed as much during his stint with Cardiff which saw the 6ft 6in wide-man boast a strike rate of two tries for every five games. Over seven seasons, that added up to consistently impressive finishing.
Cuthbert’s touchdowns for Wales tended to come in spurts, with four in seven matches at the start of his Test career, another quartet of scores in the 2013 Six Nations title-winning campaign and a hot streak of four against southern hemisphere teams in 2014.
He came in for criticism before he left for Devon, but memories are still fresh of his display for Wales in the opening Test against South Africa seven years ago.
Wales were well beaten that day in Durban, finishing on the wrong end of a 38-16 scoreline, but their right wing performed outstandingly, making 133 metres with ball in hand, beating six defenders and scoring a try.
On a day when one set of player ratings in South Africa saw two Wales players rated as 1/10 performers, Cuthbert was one of the few who emerged with his reputation enhanced.
The Ospreys will hope he can perform at a similar standard for them.
After he joined them in the summer, the 31-year-old set himself the goal of taking his game to another level.
But his first challenge is to shake off the injury issues that have blighted him in recent years. Do that and he could make a big impact in Swansea. Potentially, he is capable of reminding the national selectors he’s still around.
He just needs his luck to turn.