Ospreys hooker to miss season start

Thursday 14th August 2008

Richard Hibbard: Delayed start to the season

Richard Hibbard: Delayed start to the season



The 24 year-old suffered an impact to his right shoulder whilst on international duty in South Africa this summer, and although he returned to pre-season training as normal, he began to experience some pain in the shoulder.

The decision was made to deal with the problem immediately to ensure that the player could make a full recovery and play as big a part in the 2008/09 campaign as possible.

"Richard underwent an arthroscopic procedure to remove a loose piece of cartilage floating in his right shoulder," explained physio Chris Towers.

"The early signs are excellent and the shoulder is settling well. It's too early to predict an exact date for when we can expect Richard on the field but he will miss the start of the season.

"However, this is a relatively minor procedure so he won't be sidelined for too long. We'll assess his situation closely and will be in a better position to predict his return in a couple of weeks."

Gallery - International Rugby - Week Four

Shaun Edwards hands out the orders as Wales warm-up at the Millennium Stadium. A sickening clash of heads in the opening minute sees both Stirling Mortlock and Jamie Roberts hurt. Mortlock is taken from the field immediately, whilst Roberts plays on for 15 minutes with a fractured skull.