“He still has it!” Gareth Anscombe turns heads exactly two years after his world collapsed
Gareth Anscombe has been injured for so long that when the script went so badly for him, many people wondered if Liverpool football club would win a league title again.
Work from home? According to many at the time, a simple excuse to get up late, turn on a laptop and keep an eye out for a televised replay of a Scottish Second Division game that took place the day before.
Much has changed, indeed, since August 2019, when Anscombe damaged his knee ligaments while playing for Wales in a World Cup warm-up against England at Twickenham.
Next Wednesday will mark the second anniversary of this desperate day for the Ospreys opening half.
But it’s not all bad news now.
Far from there.
He’s back in full training with the Ospreys and should start the new season on time.
After such a long absence, you might have expected him to be rusty, but he wasted no time in pointing out his quality to everyone at Swansea.
“The word is he looks quite the part,” said a source close to the area.
“It’s a class act that has time on the ball.
“His quality was evident to everyone and he has a massive presence in the way he behaves. For a young player like Josh Thomas, having Gareth and Stephen Myler too is huge.
“Gareth has been out for a long time so it’s about not overdoing it and working at the right pace.
“But the signs are really promising.”
More than two years after signing for the Ospreys, the 30-year-old has yet to play a game for them.
But it should not take long to remedy it.
While the Liberty Stadium area will be eager to see him on the starting grid of the new campaign, so will Wales.
With his vision, class and authority, Anscombe had been Warren Gatland’s choice at No.10 for four of five Six Nations games Wales played in the 2019 Grand Slam winning season, the Kiwi using Anscombe and Dan Biggar in tandem.
It was a strategy that worked perfectly and had he stayed in shape there was every chance Anscombe would have toured South Africa with the Lions this summer.
But it’s gone now.
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Now the 30-year-old will want to rack up some playing time before he even thinks of Wales after so long, but everything seems to be going in the right direction with his planned return.
Everyone in the Welsh game will surely wish him luck as he prepares for his comeback.
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