Josh Adams Ready for Six Nations and Lions Return After Months of Injury Hell
For any sportsman or woman, six months on the sidelines through injury is enough to leave them tearing their hair out in frustration.
They can sulk and bemoan their luck, or work hard on their rehabilitation and channel that aggression into something positive upon making their return to action.
For Josh Adams, the latter was the only viable option… and his form for Cardiff following his lengthy lay-off suggests that he has come back better than ever. The news will be well received by fans of both the Welsh national team and the British & Irish Lions.
Wooden Spoon
After finishing dead last in the 2024 Six Nations, it would be fair to say that Wales are chomping at the bit to make amends.
The Six Nations betting market is focusing on the exploits of the three main protagonists, with defending champions Ireland (6/4) leading the way ahead of France (2/1) and England (16/5).
At 33/1 in the rugby odds, Wales are once again considered rank outsiders in the betting, so being competitive – and beating Italy – will be the sum of their ambitions.
Warren Gatland has been given the green light to remain in charge of the team for the foreseeable future, so he will be particularly delighted with the return of Josh Adams on the wing.
The 29-year-old is a box office player for his country, overall, racking up 59 caps and 105 points at the time of writing. His status as a former British Lion also confirms his class, so his return for Wales is significant to say the least. After so long out of the international game, Adams is clearly desperate to make up for lost time…
A Dangerous Game
One respected figure in rugby that gets to see Adams week in, week out is Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt. He has been delighted with the rejuvenation of his winger, which was topped off with a fourth try in his last three games in Cardiff’s recent URC victory over the Dragons just after Christmas.
Sherratt described Adams as being "all in for us", before revealing that his player, "… has that bit of match sharpness at the moment and has looked dangerous."
Adams previously missed the entirety of Wales’ summer programme, as well as their autumn internationals against Fiji, Australia and South Africa, where his absence was particularly hard-felt.
Wales lost all three of those games, with the margin of defeat to Australia (20-52) and South Africa (12-45) particularly tough to take. On the back of their derisory return in the 2024 Six Nations, where they lost all five games – including a defeat to enduring wooden spooners Italy, it would be fair to say that Wales are in a state of transition as Gatland seeks to find a solution.
The return of the experienced Adams will certainly help in that endeavour; particularly if they have aspirations of hitting the ground running with a tough Six Nations opener in France. After that, there’s a trip to Rome to take on Italy, a game that will likely decide Wales’ fate for the rest of 2025.
.jpg "Henry Pollock, who was part of the England U20s set-up last term, scored two tries off the bench")
