Taulupe Faletau is edging closer to a return from the collarbone injury that ruled him out of Wales’ Rugby World Cup campaign.
The 28-year-old No. 8 has been sidelined since suffering the bump in what was described as an “innocuous training ground incident” after returning from Wales’ summer conditioning camp in Fiesch, Switzerland.
He subsequently underwent surgery.
Wales missed their world-class back rower acutely during the tournament in Japan, with Warren Gatland’s side shy of ball-carriers to take them across them gain-line.
But Bath have now released a statement as a new era for Welsh rugby begins, with Wayne Pivac taking over the reins from Warren Gatland as head coach.
Director of rugby Stuart Hooper said of Faletau: “He is doing well.
“He has been out running but again he is towards the latter stage of his rehab.
“A set return date has not been confirmed yet.
“We are working very hard to get him back to his best and involved as often (and) as much as he can, so when he does get back we see the very best of Toby.”
Faletau will have the Six Nations in his sights, with Wales' game against the Barbarians at the Principality Stadium on November 30 being deemed outside the Test window.
The 76-cap international will look to bank game-time in the run-up to Christmas with his sights set on being named in Wales' Six Nations squad in 10 weeks' time. He is short of rugby, having played only six games for Bath last season after suffering two forearm breaks and he hasn’t played a Test for Wales since the 2018 Six Nations.
Pivac will doubtless be monitoring him as he moves back up the gears at The Rec.
How Wales missed him during the World Cup.
Well though Wales’ back-row men played, Warren Gatland’s team were short of go-forward up front and in the semi-final against South Africa the team posted the lowest average gain per ball carry (1.6 metres) ever recorded in a World Cup fixture.
The 6ft 2in, 17st 5lb Faletau would have done much to improve on those figures with his power and ability to drive forward.
Warren Gatland's side could also have done with the defensive contribution of the man who made 78 tackles without a single miss in the 2011 global tournament.
