Gareth Anscombe is back in full training and edging towards a rugby return from the shoulder injury that sparked fears he could miss a second successive World Cup.
The 35-cap Wales international sustained the problem during the Test against Australia in November. Initially the injury looked so bad there were fears he could be out for six months, with one report suggesting he could even be off limits for the global tournament in France this autumn.
Such a scenario would have been especially cruel for a player who saw his hopes of playing at the 2019 World Cup dashed by a major knee injury in a warm-up match against England.
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The shoulder-blade setback against the Wallabies added to a run of frustrating problems the Ospreys playmaker has endured since.
But he has worked hard since the autumn to put himself in a position where he is close to a return.
More good news for the Ospreys and Wales is that hooker Dewi Lake is also out of the casualty room after the knee problem that ruled him out of the Six Nations.
“They’re in full training,” said Ospreys attack coach Richard Fussell.
“Both have gone very well and been positive within the group and around the environment.
“At this moment in time, they are probably putting their hands up for having some involvement between now and the tail end.”
Given his track record with injuries — he missed more than two years after the bump he sustained in 2019 — the Ospreys will be ultra-wary of pitching Anscombe back into the fray before they are 100 per cent certain.
But news that he’s on track will delight not just the Ospreys, but Warren Gatland as well, with the Kiwi a big fan of the former Auckland Blues, Chiefs and Cardiff playmaker, starting with him four times at fly-half during Wales’ Grand Slam success of 2019.
Wales' head coach felt the policy of Anscombe and Dan Biggar operating together — Biggar appeared off the bench in four of the games — worked well and was a key factor behind the side recording that year’s clean sweep.
Lake was injured in the Heineken Champions Cup match against Leicester in January but he’s made good progress since and is expected back sooner rather than later — potentially he could even play a part in the United Rugby Championship clash against the Dragons in Swansea on Saturday.
The Ospreys have no doubts about what the pair bring to the table.
“When they are both playing they add that value to our game,” said Fussell.
“Gareth is a quality player. He always wants to drive standards and make things better and he’s always a threat on the attacking side of the ball.
“He’s put the work in. Hopefully, he gets the opportunity to reap the benefits.
“Dewi has that physicality which he’s shown on many occasions.”
The Ospreys will decide on case by case basis which of their Six Nations players to use this weekend.
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