But it is certain that the wing will not now play until February – ruling him out for the remainder of the Heineken Cup as well vital Celtic League derbies against all three other Welsh regions over the Christmas period.
“It’s a big blow for Gareth and the region because he has been one of our most consistent players since arriving at the Dragons,” said team manager Jim McCreedy. “Hopefully the damage is not extensive but it will certainly be at least eight weeks until he can play again. That was the last thing we needed given the current injury situation among our backs.”
Nathan Brew and Kevin Morgan are still sidelined though there could be some good news this week concerning Hal Luscombe. The Wales star is rated as a “possibility” for Saturday’s Heineken Cup game against Munster following a thumb injury. Meanwhile Paul Turner admitted he was satisfied with his forward’s performance against Worcester on Saturday. The Dragons pack created all three tries, including an injury-time penalty try from a collapsed scrum, as a warm up for the Munster clash.
Turner said: “Munster in Europe will be a different prospect. They have probably the best line-out in the Celtic League and know how to put sides away.”
Man-of the match Andrew Hall and Adam Black scored Newport’s other tries in a first-half blitz while Craig Warlow added 18 points with the boot. Former Scarlets wing Aisea Havili crossed for Worcester.
