CARDIFF, Wales: Wales rugby coach Wayne Pivac ruled out flyhalf Gareth Anscombe for a year on Tuesday.
Anscombe sustained knee ligament damage in a warmup match against England ahead of the Rugby World Cup last year and has yet to return for either his club, the Ospreys, or country.
Gareth will miss the majority, if not all, of this season so were looking at 12 months,” Pivac said after selecting his squad for Wales’ six-test autumn schedule.
Uncapped Callum Sheedy, who has been in impressive form for English team Bristol, was selected to add depth to the flyhalf position.
Cardiff-born Sheedy also qualified for Ireland through his parents and England on residency, and he represented England in a non-cap game against the Barbarians last year.
It was about a one-minute phone call in relation to eligibility,” Pivac said.
He told me he was born in Cardiff, raised in Cardiff and hes Welsh through and through, and I can tell by his accent. He was very, very keen to represent his country, and his country is Wales.”
Wales plays France in a friendly match in Paris on Oct. 24, followed by the delayed Six Nations fixture with Scotland a week later. Pivac’s team then plays four Autumn Nations Cup games, including against Ireland and England.
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