Ellis Jenkins will require surgery after being hurt in the dying seconds of Wales’ victory over South Africa and the flanker may miss the rest of the season.
Cardiff Blues confirmed he suffered “a significant knee injury” during last Saturday’s 20-11 win over the Springboks.
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In a statement, his club said: “Cardiff Blues can confirm Ellis Jenkins will require surgical intervention. Further specialist reviews are needed to establish an accurate prognosis following surgery. Cardiff Blues and the WRU [Welsh Rugby Union] have and will continue to work closely to manage Ellis’s care optimally. No further comments will be made at this stage.”
No timescale has been put on the 25-year-old’s recovery but it would appear that Jenkins is facing a lengthy lay-off, potentially ruling him out of the Six Nations and possibly the rest of this season, although it is just under nine months until Wales’ opening World Cup warm-up game against England. Their first World Cup fixture is against Georgia on 23 September.
Jenkins, who has won 11 caps and captained Wales to victory over the Springboks earlier in the year, received a late call-up off the bench to start after Dan Lydiate withdrew through injury.
He then switched from blindside flanker to No 8 after only 12 minutes as Ross Moriarty was forced off through concussion, but he delivered a man-of-the-match performance.