Alun Wyn Jones could face a month or more on the sidelines after injuring a knee in Wales’ Grand Slam-clinching victory over Ireland in Cardiff.
The Six Nations player of the tournament went down in obvious pain 10 minutes into the game at the Principality Stadium and had his knee strapped up. He then went on to play the house down, carrying strongly and putting in 19 tackles without a single miss.
But he effectively did it all on one leg, with the 33-year-old having picked up ligament damage that will rule him out until the Ospreys' Judgement Day clash with Cardiff Blues on April 27 at the earliest.
It underlines what the world knew anyway — that Jones has a stratospherically high pain threshold and is no ordinary rugby player.
But it will take time for him to repair fully.
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He has been ruled out of the Ospreys’ trip to South Africa early next month for two Guinness PRO14 matches but there is a possibility he could be available for the final round of regular season matches.
The Ospreys issued an injury update, saying: “Alun Wyn suffered knee ligament damage last weekend and is currently rehabbing.
“He won’t travel to South Africa with the squad at the start of April but at this stage we haven’t ruled him out of the Judgment Day game against Cardiff Blues.”
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Jones’ determination to play through the pain barrier for his country echoes that of another Welsh Grand Slam skipper. Mervyn Davies did the same back in 1976, when he ruptured a calf muscle early on against France as Wales looked to complete a clean sweep.
The great No. 8 was in acute discomfort for the rest of the match, but, recognising that history was calling, he somehow stayed on the pitch to enjoy a moment of sweet triumph.
Jones did the same, even charging at the Irish conversion with the clock deep in the red and Wales 20 points to the good with the Grand Slam long since secured.
He wasn’t the only Osprey to feel pain in Wales’ 27-5 victory over Ireland.
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George North suffered a hand injury that forced him off the pitch in the opening quarter against Ireland.
And the Welsh region have lost centre Scott Williams for the rest of the season with a back injury that he sustained earlier in the campaign.
The Ospreys’ medical bulletin continued: “George fractured two metacarpals in his left hand early in the Ireland match.
“Having seen a specialist this week, he needs time for the bones to heal but we are optimistic about the potential for him to be involved on Judgment Day.
“Scott is recovering from the disc problem in his lower back which kept him out of the Six Nations.
He is progressing well but we aren’t expecting to see him back representing the Ospreys before the end of the season. He will continue his rehabilitation into pre-season with the goal of making himself available for the Rugby World Cup.”
