WILLIAMS STRUCK DOWN WITH GROIN INJURY
The 28 year-old is awaiting the results of a scan on the problem which has troubled the former Neath man since his return from the summer’s Lions tour. The news comes as a blow to Welsh coach Mike Ruddock who may also be without the services of Williams’s fellow Osprey Gavin Henson for matches against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Fiji.
“It is our hope Shane will be fit for action for the Heineken Cup and then for Wales in the Autumn Internationals,” said Ospreys assistant coach Sean Holley. “But until the results of the scan are analysed, we won’t know the full story.”
The current spate of groin injuries in the Welsh game has led some of the sport’s top figures to call for an investigation into the recurring problem. Williams’s regional and international team-mate Henson recently went under the surgeon’s knife to cure a long-standing hernia problem while the Dragons’ Ceri Sweeney is out of action for a fortnight. With Wales looking for their first win over the All Blacks for 52 years, Williams’s regional coach Lyn Jones is concerned with the current situation.
“Groin injuries are rampant in Welsh rugby,” admitted Jones. “It’s a concern for everybody and needs to be worked out why they are happening.”
Wales’s Team Doctor John Williams said: “With four players suffering with injuries in the same anatomical area, at first glance it may seem that the players have the same injury, however there are a number of potential injuries that can occur in that region of the body.
“There is nothing specific within the training patterns of these players that would make them more likely to develop groin injuries.”
