Dewi Lake has played his last game for Ospreys

Wales captain Dewi Lake, who will be joining Gloucester in the Gallagher PREM next season, has played his last game for the Ospreys after being ruled out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury.

Lake, 26, who is moving to the West Country alongside Jac Morgan, faces surgery on the latest shoulder problem he sustained during Wales’ only Six Nations victory of their campaign against Italy in mid-March.

He has played ten games for his home region this season but now faces a race to be fit for the Nations Championship this summer, which kicks off against Fiji at Cardiff City Stadium on 4 July.

Steve Tandy will be hoping that nothing happens to his other hookers, Ryan Elias, Liam Belcher and Brodie Coghlan, before they travel to Argentina in San Juan on 11 July and then to South Africa in Durban seven days later.

Ospreys head coach Mark Jones told Wales Online that Lake has been troubled by his shoulder injury on and off all season but has had to admit defeat in his bid to play through the pain barrier.

“Dewi is going to have an operation on his shoulder. He has had a grumbling shoulder for a while, which has niggled him on and off. He has tried his best to play through it at certain points.

“He could possibly have got to the end of this season, but the feeling from himself was that he would like to get it sorted. To be fair to him, it is his body and he has the right to make sure he is in tip-top shape too.

“We are unfortunately going to lose him, and it will probably be for the remainder of the season. I think he is hoping to get back for some international duty, hopefully all being well at the end of our season and going into the summer series, from what I gather.

“That is what I am hearing, but these things do change as timelines progress, but that is what we are thinking at this moment.”

Lake has been a colossal figure for the Ospreys and is one of the leading hookers in the United Rugby Championship.