Wales lock Adam Beard is set to return to full training this week, less than a month after having his appendix removed.
The likeable 23-year-old was stopped from boarding the flight to Tokyo with the rest of the squad on September 11 by team doctor Geoff Davies after complaining of stomach pain on the bus ride up to Heathrow.
He was sent straight to A&E at the Heath hospital in Cardiff and what he initially thought was just an upset stomach turned out to be appendicitis. He’d had the surgery by the time the team had landed in Japan.
Beard eventually joined his team-mates ahead of Wales’ opening match against Georgia.
Since arriving in Japan, he has been working hard to return to full fitness and eating around 5,000 calories a day to regain the weight he lost after the operation.
But he now looks set to be involved against Uruguay on Sunday.
“Beardy had that operation which was unfortunate and then he lost three or four kilos,” said Wales’ head of physical performance Paul Stridgeon.
“He’s a great kid who does everything we ask, as do all the players, so we’ve just been getting as much food into him as we can, some supplementation.
“He’s been working hard, doing some extra weights sessions as well and he’s rehabbed well.
“He’s back into full training this week so he’s done well. He might be a couple of kilos down on what he was before but that won’t affect him in the game.”
Wales have now arrived in Oita ready to play Fiji on Wednesday, a game that looks as though it has come too early for the 16-cap second row.
