By David Parsons
Wales skipper Dewi Lake looks set to miss a third successive Six Nations campaign after it was confirmed he will undergo surgery for a bicep injury.
The 25-year-old hooker missed the Ospreys’ 23-22 win over Scarlets at the weekend after taking a knock in training earlier in the week.
Lake missed the 2023 championship with a knee injury and was then ruled out of this year’s event with a hamstring problem.
It is the worst kind of blow for Wales head coach Warren Gatland, who is clinging onto his job by his fingernails after a record 12 successive defeats.
Wales kick-off their 2025 Six Nations series with a game against France in Paris on Friday January 31.
Ein gwlad. Ein hiaith ❤️
Ben Davies & Dewi Lake share their experiences as they chat everything Cymru… @Cymru x @WelshRugbyUnion#TogetherStronger | #Cymraeg pic.twitter.com/AejbJhF2u0
— Wales (@Cymru) November 15, 2024
To make matters worse, two of Gatland’s other options at hooker – the Scarlets’ Ryan Elias and Dragons’ Elliot Dee – are both currently out of action.
The next most experienced candidate, Ospreys No. 2 Sam Parry, walked out of camp ahead of the summer tour claiming he had been “disrespected” by Gatland.
Elias has been out of action for three weeks with a neck problem, while Dee has yet to play this season because of an injured ankle.
With the luckless Dewi Lake in danger of missing Wales’ entire Six Nations campaign due to surgery on his bicep, there are big decisions for Warren Gatland to make over his skipper and hooker.
Jac Morgan and Daf Jenkins the leading contenders for captaincy.— Simon Thomas Rugby (@simonrug) December 22, 2024
That leaves Gatland with Cardiff’s two youngsters Evan Lloyd, who has yet to start an international, and Efan Daniel.
“We were hoping he could rehab it and play,” explained Ospreys head coach Mark Jones about Lake’s injury.
“It is going to be surgical now, so it means it will be months rather than weeks.”
Exeter Chiefs lock Dafydd Jenkins and Ospreys captain Jac Morgan have both led their country before, so finding a new skipper if Lake misses out won’t be as difficult as solving the problem of who fits into the middle of the front row.
