Josh Macleod is ready to rejoin the queue of contenders for the Wales openside flanker position, nine months after seeing a debut cap cruelly snatched away.
The Scarlets forward had been named in the team internally for the Six Nations clash with Scotland last February in an announcement that prompted celebrations among fellow squad members.
But 30 minutes after he and his team-mates were told the side, Macleod suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in training and has been sidelined since.
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He is poised to begin his comeback, however, with a source revealing he could be involved when the Scarlets head out to South Africa for a short tour at the end of the month, with Dwayne Peel’s side playing United Rugby Championship games against the Sharks and Bulls.
Admired by Wayne Pivac, who was team boss at the Scarlets when Macloed came through onto the senior scene, the 25-year-old can play across the back row and so has triple value to a coach.
When the west Walian picked up his injury, Pivac told of how big a blow it had been to Wales and the player himself, saying: “Josh had been injured just before our previous camp.
“Then this time, to be named in front of his peers and have them celebrate only to be stretchered off the training field half hour later, is not great for him or any of us.
“It’s really sad and disappointing for Josh first and foremost.
“A debut against Scotland will have been something he’s dreamed of, so we’re very disappointed for him.”
His return will lift the Scarlets at a time when they’ve had back-row injuries, with Tomas Lezana, Dan Davis, Sione Kalamafoni, James Davies, Macleod and Tom Phillips among those who’ve been on the casualty list.
And the availability of one of Welsh rugby’s top breakdown operators, who is also blessed with great versatility, should interest Pivac heading for the Six Nations, with Macleod topping the PRO14's chart for most turnovers in 2019-20.
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