Date: Sunday, 8 February Kick-off: 1500 GMTVenue: Murrayfield
Coverage: Screened live on BBC ONE Wales and online plus full commentary on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and online & score updates on BBC Radio Five Live
 Wales and Ospreys scrum-half Mike Phillips was sidelined for nine months |
Mike Phillips is ready to put his injury nightmare behind him and help Wales defend their Six Nations title. The Ospreys scrum-half sat out nine months of rugby with a serious knee injury but returns to the Wales side for Sunday's opener away to Scotland. "I'm delighted to be back in the Welsh squad and obviously ecstatic to be starting for Wales again," he said. "I've had no problems with the knee and it's been fine since I came back and I'm very pleased with my performances." This time last year Phillips had established himself as the best scrum-half in Wales, earning the nod over rival Dwayne Peel from national coach Warren Gatland. Phillips started every match in that 2008 Six Nations campaign except the 47-8 home romp over Italy, as Wales roared to their second Grand Slam in four seasons.  | It was my first serious injury so I wasn't really sure how to cope with things |
But a week after sealing the Slam with victory over France, the 26-year-old's world came crashing down. The Ospreys swept aside Saracens in the semi-finals of the EDF Energy Cup, but in that match Phillips tore both the anterior cruciate ligament and the medial collateral ligament in his knee. The original diagnosis was six months on the sidelines, but he required a second, keyhole, operation in October to stabilise the injury. "There was some very low moments you know and it was obviously stages when it was getting better then you wake up and there's pain again in the knee," Phillips said. "It was as if it was never going to get better and even after the second op, the clear-out you know, there was still even more pain there again. "Eventually it [the pain] went and you know I worked really hard to come back and I'm very delighted to be back now. "Both [operations] were successful, it just takes time, but obviously the person I am wanted to come back bigger and stronger and better and maybe pushed it too much and eventually probably caused it more harm. "It was my first [serious] injury so I wasn't really sure how to cope with things but you know I had a lot of support from friends, family and team-mates." The set-back ruled Phillips out of Wales' autumn Test series - having already missed the summer tour to South Africa - but he returned to action in mid-December in the Ospreys' Magners League loss at the Newport Gwent Dragons. | 606: DEBATE |
Tough Heineken Cup games in January - with the Ospreys securing a place in the quarter-finals - proved Phillips was back and firing. That, coupled with Peel's loss of form at Sale Sharks and injury to Gareth Cooper, saw Gatland again select Phillips at scrum-half in Wednesday's Wales team announcement. "The first couple of games, I'll be honest, it was tough - nice to come back to a nice warm welcome in the Dragons down there!" Phillips added. "I think I've matured immensely over the last nine months, realising how lucky I was before, the lifestyle and everything, playing rugby and doing something I absolutely love doing. "The main thing is I'm back and looking forward to it." After their trip to Murrayfield on Sunday, Wales face England on home turf at the Millennium Stadium, before a Friday night trip to France, Italy away and then finishing against Ireland in Cardiff.
| 
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?