Wales are sweating on the fitness of fullback Gareth Thomas ahead of next Saturday's visit of New Zealand to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Thomas twisted a knee as he captained Wales to a 61-26 victory over Canada on Friday.
Wales coach Gareth Jenkins said Thomas would undergo a scan on Saturday, but he was not holding out much hope of the 90-times-capped player featuring against the All Blacks.
PHOTO: AP
"It doesn't look like he will make it at the moment but we are trying to remain positive," Jenkins said.
"The concern is that in twisting the knee he has opened up the joint, but to what degree we don't know," he said.
"By Monday morning [today] we will know more as far as selection is concerned. Gareth is a key player in our environment, not just on the field, but in the team environment. It would be huge if he wasn't available," Jenkins said.
Thomas sustained the knee problem early in the Canada match but managed to play through the pain.
The injury adds to Wales' problems behind the scrum ahead of Saturday's clash with the All Blacks.
Gavin Henson pulled out just before the Canada game with an infected toe, while captain Stephen Jones is still in rehabilitation after twisting his knee in the 29-29 draw with Australia.
"Gavin's toe was very sore on Friday and was put on antibiotics which the medical team believe they will kick in and there should be a big improvement by Monday," Jenkins explained.
"Stephen's had a big week rehab-wise and I'm confident he will be available next week and back in training on Monday [today]," Jenkins said.
Jenkins, who is due to announce his side tomorrow but could delay that until Wednesday, said he was glad to have the extra day over New Zealand to prepare for Saturday's match.
Marta Kostyuk’s maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid came on Saturday thanks to her power, poise and a pair of unexpected lucky shorts. The world No. 23 beat eighth-ranked Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in under 90 minutes to secure the most prestigious trophy of her career, her third professional singles title and second in less than a month after Rouen. Yet as the 23-year-old Ukrainian posed for photographs at the Caja Magica, it was not just the silverware that caught the eye. Held alongside her team and her two dogs, Kostyuk showed off a piece of black men’s underwear, prompting
Throwing more than US$5 billion at a divisive new tour and walking away after five seasons does not look like good business, but LIV Golf was not all bad news for Saudi Arabia. Oil-funded LIV, which poached top stars and sent golf’s establishment into a tailspin, helped push the conservative kingdom into global view — one of its key aims, experts said. The exit, confirmed on Thursday after weeks of speculation, does not signal a flight of Saudi money from sport, even after the Middle East war that sparked Iranian attacks around the Gulf, they said. “Saudi Arabia is not
Lin Yun-ju on Thursday handed Taiwan two key victories as they advanced to the semi-finals of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London. The Taiwan men’s table tennis team beat Sweden 3-2 in five singles matches. The 24-year-old Lin, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7 and nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” opened the tie by defeating world No. 2 Truls Moregard 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11) before clinching the deciding fifth match with a 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5) win over Anton Kallberg to hand his team the overall victory. Kuo Guan-hong put Taiwan up 2-0 with a 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 8-11,
Arsenal stormed six points clear at the top of the English Premier League as Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres put Fulham to the sword in a 3-0 win, while West Ham United’s defeat at Brentford offered Tottenham Hotspur a lifeline in the battle for survival. The Gunners have stumbled toward the finish line in their quest for a first league title in 22 years, blowing a sizeable lead over Manchester City in a series of nervous displays. However, the return of Saka, making his first start in six weeks, freed up Mikel Arteta’s men in a dominant performance that shrugged