JAMIE Roberts is hoping he can prove his fellow medical experts wrong after grave doubts were raised over the British and Irish Lions star’s fitness for Wales’ entire autumn campaign.
Things certainly didn’t look too promising for the newly qualified
Newport-born doctor as he was spotted on crutches at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Saturday.
The 26-year-old powerhouse centre was in London to watch Glamorgan’s 87-run defeat to Nottinghamshire in the final of the Yorkshire Bank 40 final.
Roberts’ ankle was still in plaster on the weekend after he damaged it playing for his new club Racing Métro in their 19-16 victory over Perpignan in Paris earlier this month.
But the 53-times capped former Cardiff Blues man isn’t ruling himself out of playing some part in Wales’ four-match autumn campaign which kicks off against South Africa on November 9.
"The doctors seem to think I'll be out for a good few months," Roberts said after returning to Cardiff for an operation.
"But I will be working on my rehab, trying my best to be fit for selection."
But Roberts is unlikely to feature in the reigning Six Nations champions’ last game on November 30 against Australia as his Top 14 employers in France aren’t obliged to release him even if he does recover in time.
The showdown with the Wallabies falls outside the International Rugby Board’s autumn international window.
Racing seem to agree with Roberts’ doctors that he won’t feature for Wales until the 2014 Six Nations at the earliest.
“Jamie has reported back to us after ten days in Cardiff for the operation,” the French club’s assistant coach Laurent Labit said.
“He will be out for at least two months after surgery and will hopefully be back playing some time in November, but he will probably miss the Wales Tests.”
Roberts, who scored the Lions’ fourth and final try in their series clinching 41-16 win over Australia in July, could also miss Wales games against Argentina and Tonga in two months' time.
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