Wales pair Taulupe Faletau and Gareth Anscombe have been sent a message of sympathy from Ireland’s Peter O’Mahony – but the Lions star warned: There’s more injury misery to come. Anscombe has followed Faletau in being ruled out of the World Cup, the fly-half suffering a knee injury at Twickenham just a week after the No.8 broke his collarbone in training. O’Mahony knows what it’s like to miss out on big games at a World Cup.

Warren Gatland has revealed that Taulupe Faletau was still some way behind the rest of the Wales players when he was ruled out of the World Cup. Faletau broke his collarbone in training last week and will stay at home with Bath when his international teammates head for Japan next month. But after also missing last season’s Six Nations with a broken arm, the Wales coach has admitted his Lions No.8 was still lagging behind when he suffered the latest setback.

The dress rehearsals ahead of the World Cup are primed and Robin Davey says a Wales squad with 14 wins behind them should want to keep the habit – even if it means some chopping and changing. It’s World Cup warm-up time and though the matches may be friendlies before the real thing gets under way next month, don’t tell that to the Wales or England camps. The outcome in Japan this autumn is what really counts, of course, but there is no such thing as a friendly when Wales and England get to grips with one another.

Cory Hill has welcomed Wales’ demanding World Cup warm-up programme and predicted they will be “flat-out” Test matches. Wales play England and Ireland home and away in the next month, starting with a trip to Twickenham on Sunday. It is a testing schedule which has raised eyebrows in some quarters, and Wales coach Warren Gatland hopes history does not repeat itself with key players lost to injury.

Bath have promised to do all they can to get Taulupe Faletau fit for club and country again as soon as possible. The Wales and Lions star – who has been ruled out of the World Cup in Japan after being dealt another cruel injury blow – is not expected to play again for three to four months after suffering a collarbone injury in training. It means he will miss the tournament in what is a huge blow to Wales as well as to a player desperate to overcome recent injury problems.

Ross Moriarty will approach Saturday’s Grand Slam clincher against Ireland as he does every games for Wales – fearing it could be his last. The Dragons No.8 has revealed he frets about losing his place in Warren Gatland’s team, but that insecurity drives him to deliver his best performances. Moriarty’s form and influence in this Six Nations campaign has enabled Wales to make light of the absence of Taulupe Faletau, arguably the most talented player in a red shirt over recent seasons but who was injured for the autumn internationals and then ruled out again on the eve of this tournament.

January blues? Not for Robin Davey, who says with European dreams trampled into the dirt once more, the Wales players will feel liberated when they cross under the watch towers at the “Jail of Glamorgan”. The Six Nations is coming and Wales are on a nine-match winning streak. What’s to feel blue about? Europe may have been a disaster for the regions, not to mention for the whole country on the political front, but Wales can still head into the Six Nations full of optimism. Head coach Warren Gatland had major injury worries before naming his final Six Nation squad, but he has the satisfaction of increasing the depth in the squad over the past year or more so that Wales can still present a formidable front.

Warren Gatland is confident if Wales beat France in Paris they can use it as a springboard to win the 2019 Six Nations. In his final crack at the annual tournament before leaving the job, the Wales coach thinks the opening Friday night fixture holds the key to success. Wales have not won the title for six years and Gatland – who named his squad on Tuesday afternoon – must also negotiate home fixtures against reigning Six Nations champions Ireland and Eddie Jones’ England at the Principality Stadium.

Thomas Young has been recalled by Wales for the Six Nations, with coach Warren Gatland also including injured stars Leigh Halfpenny and Ross Moriarty in a squad of 39. But whilst Wasps flanker Young returns, there is no place for Taulupe Faletau – confirmation that the Bath No.8 has no hope of making the tournament after breaking his arm for the second time in three months. Young, 26, won the last of his two caps 18 months ago on tour against Samoa and must have feared more rejection after being omitted from the squad in the autumn.

Warren Gatland’s Six Nations plans with Wales have been seriously undermined by the broken arm suffered again by Taulupe Faletau. Gatland had pencilled Faletau in for a rapid return to his squad he is due to name at Tuesday lunchtime, but the coach revealed his bad news at a rugby writers’ dinner held in London on Monday night. Just two days after seeming to have come through his comeback game unscathed, the Bath and Lions No.8 – arguably Wales’ most important player – has been confirmed as having repeated the injury he first suffered last October.

Warren Gatland will be “gutted” over the loss of Taulupe Faletau for the November Test series, according to the back row forward’s Bath clubmate Jamie Roberts. It was confirmed on Tuesday that Wales No.8 Faletau suffered a broken arm playing for his club against Exeter in the Gallagher Premiership at the weekend. The injury, which is near his wrist, is expected to keep him out of action for a couple of months.

In 12 months’ time, Wales will be in Japan for the World Cup and Warren Gatland’s time as coach will be coming to an end. It’s a long goodbye, but Robin Davey believes it could be a sweet parting with Gatland’s squad strength building nicely. Warren Gatland is about to enter the final year of his long reign as Wales coach and this time, with the autumn series approaching, he looks to be setting off on that last leg in a position of strength. In the bank is a rare 100% summer tour record when a youngish Wales team, shorn of many of their leading players who were deliberately rested, not only beat South Africa in the USA  en route for Argentina, they also won the mini Test series, 2-0.