Saturday 7 September 2019 17:51, UK
Rhys Patchell will be fit for the World Cup despite suffering his third concussion in a year, insists Warren Gatland.
The 26-year-old fly-half left the pitch during the first half of Wales' 19-10 defeat in Ireland on Saturday for a head-injury assessment (HIA) after colliding with CJ Stander in the build-up to Ireland's first try.
Head coach Gatland admitted on Saturday evening that Patchell would be assessed by the medics in the next few days, with the Welsh squad flying to Japan on Wednesday.
Wales have just two fly-halves in their 31-man squad, with Gareth Anscombe recovering from knee surgery and Patchell and Dan Biggar the two playmakers for the World Cup.
Asked if Patchell would be on that flight, Gatland said: "Patchell will be fine for that. He seems okay in the changing rooms now.
"He's just got to be assessed in the next few days. We'll talk to the medics about that and see how he fares over the next couple of days."
Patchell has endured a wretched run of injury luck, having fought off two previous concussions and a torn hamstring across the course of the last 12 months.
He has acquitted himself well in Wales' warm-up matches, but now faces a race against time to be fit for the World Cup opener against Georgia on September 23.
Asked if he had any concerns with just two fly-halves in his squad, Gatland added: "We'll see how he comes out of the next couple of days.
"He definitely deserves some good luck because he's gone well. And the ironic thing is that he went low and that's often where the concussions happen, when players go low and the tackler gets hit by a knee or a hip.
"So that's something we'll have to keep watching on with World Rugby."
