Taulupe Faletau 'touch and go' for Wales Six Nations opener in worry for Gatland
Taulupe Faletau is "touch and go" to make Wales' opening Six Nations game against France in Paris as he deals with a knee injury.
Cardiff back-row James Botham, who featured in all three of Wales' autumn fixtures, is also a concern with a neck problem, while Josh Adams has a groin niggle - although that isn't expected to affect his Six Nations chances.
All three will not feature in Friday's clash with Connacht, as the Arms Park side contend with the absence of 15 players through injury.
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The Blue and Blacks head into their final European pool stage fixture with limited numbers, as the club confirmed that winger Theo Cabango will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a setback on a hamstring injury picked up at the end of last season.
Concerns over Faletau in particular will come as a blow for Warren Gatland, given his time away from the national team, with Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt saying he doesn't expect him to be ready to play in Paris on January 31.
"I'm not sure if I'm honest," said Sherratt on Faletau's chance of playing in the tournament opener at the end of the month. "I'd imagine it'll be touch and go, but he may well get through."
He added: "He's not going to play this weekend. He's gone into Wales camp this week just to get physio and do some S&C.
"He basically felt a little bit of discomfort in his knee, a little bit of bruising. He'll be available sometime I'd imagine in the Six Nations. It's not anything to be hugely concerned about."
The Wales No. 8 has been named in a national squad for the first time since breaking his arm against Georgia in a World Cup pool clash in October 2023.
However, despite being named in Gatland's 34-man squad for the Six Nations on Monday, the Cardiff back-row is now a doubt for the start of the tournament - paving the way for Aaron Wainwright to start the tournament at the back of the scrum.
Neither Adams or Botham will feature against Connacht on Friday night, although Sherratt was confident that Adams could have played this weekend if needed.
"Just a niggle really," he said. "I said last week that Josh has gone from quite a sustained period of inactivity and then he's come back and played five on the bounce.
"The Christmas period is busy and going from wet grass pitches to the Arms Park can take its toll a little bit. He can feel a little bit of discomfort in his groin.
"But again, if we had to really push him, we could play him this week. But we don't feel the need to do that. We need to look after Josh as much as possible."
Both Adams and Faletau trained with Wales in the autumn, as they battled back from long-term spells on the sideline, before being called back into the main squad for the upcoming Six Nations.
"We are really pleased for Josh and Taulupe," added Sherratt. "Their recall might be ignored because they are so experienced and have done what they have done .
"The pair of them have worked so hard to get back from injury so them going back is a boost for us, them and a massive boost for Wales."
Were Faletau to be ruled out of the tournament, the likeliest option to replace him would be Scarlets back-row Taine Plumtree. Club team-mate Josh Macleod could also be considered, as could in-form Leicester back-row Olly Cracknell.
Wales have been without Faletau for over a year, after he was forced off in their final pool stage match in the 2023 World Cup in France. Coincidentally, that was the last time Wales won a Test match.
Without Faletau in the quarter-final against Argentina in Marseille, Wales crashed out of the tournament in disappointing fashion before going on to lose all 11 of their Test matches in 2024.
It's been a lengthy road back for Faletau, after his first attempt at a comeback lasted just under half an hour. Having fractured his shoulder against Ulster last April, he then had to wait until December for another crack at a return.
He started against the Cheetahs in the Challenge Cup before backing up his comeback with outings against the Dragons and Ospreys over the festive period - cementing his place in Gatland's squad.
Injuries have hindered Faletau's Test career in recent years, having featured in half of Wales' last 50 Test matches. However, as he showed in the World Cup 15 months ago, he's still a world-class operator - with Gatland in dire need of proven performers to help turn Wales' fortunes around.
