Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Pivac arrives home in New Zealand with message for Gareth Anscombe fans about next July's Wales tour

By Online Editors
Gareth Anscombe with some Wales team-mates (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

New Wales boss Wayne Pivac arrived home in New Zealand this week to tell Kiwi-based television that Gareth Anscombe won’t be touring there with Wales next July. 

ADVERTISEMENT

New Zealand-born Anscombe kicked the Welsh to Grand Slam glory last March but he has been sidelined since picking up a World Cup ruining-injury in a warm-up match last August away to England. 

It was thought he was on the road to recovery and would be back in action for Ospreys, the club he joined in 2019 from Cardiff, before the end of this season.  

However, that no longer might be the case following a complication in his rehabilitation that had left Pivac telling New Zealand rugby fans that Anscombe, along with recently Welsh-qualified Kiwi Willis Halaholo, won’t be touring their homeland in seven months’ time.

Ospreys had initially revealed Anscombe’s latest setback by issuing a recent statement. “As a result of Gareth’s progress plateauing in the last month, in conjunction with Gareth and his specialist, it was decided that a secondary minor procedure would be in his best interest, with the aim to allow him to progress and accelerate his rehabilitation in the new year.

(Continue reading below…)

Video Spacer

“Surgery went well and at this stage we’re ruling nothing out with regard to a possible return towards the end of the season. However we’ll be in a better position to clarify a realistic prognosis in the new year when he goes back to see the specialist’.”

Pivac was interviewed on his return to New Zealand for the holidays, telling TVNZ: “Gareth’s working his way back from an ACL injury, which has had its problems in the healing process.

ADVERTISEMENT

“He’s looking like he’ll miss the tour to New Zealand, but the main thing is that he gets that knee right and gets back to 100 per cent of where he was before the injury.”

Another ACL victim was Halaholo, who suffered his injury playing for Cardiff just after he had been called into Pivac’s squad to face the Barbarians in November. “He ruptured his ACL, so that’s Willis gone for a season as well,” said the coach who has taken over from the long-serving Warren Gatland.  

WATCH: RugbyPass had the pleasure of talking to England and Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi about all things Lions

Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

T
Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Juan Ignacio Brex: 'Italy made history, but it's not enough' Juan Ignacio Brex: 'Italy made history, but it's not enough'
Search