Scarlets and Wales prop Samson Lee has flown back from South Africa early after rupturing his Achilles tendon in training.
The 29-year-old, who has won 45 caps since making his international debut in 2013, will now meet with a specialist to establish a management plan for the injury. Javan Sebastian has joined up with the Scarlets squad in Pretoria ahead of Friday's match with the Bulls.
The injury comes as a massive blow for Lee, who had been enjoying a solid season at Parc y Scarlets. However, with a ruptured Achilles tendon taking around four to six months to heal, his campaign is almost certainly over now.
This isn't the first time Lee has suffered a serious Achilles injury, with the tight-head prop's career having been dogged by injuries. Once described as a "once-in-a-generation prop" by Adam Jones, his career didn't quite hit the heights it might have had it not been for injuries.
Shortly after Jones lauded Lee's talent in 2015, he suffered a serious Achilles injury which ruled him out for seven months. He recovered to take his place in Wales’ World Cup squad, though questions remained over his level of fitness.
Then there was shoulder surgery in 2016, a knee injury that put him out of the summer tour in 2017 and further Achilles problems the following autumn.
In 2018, he travelled to America and Argentina on the summer tour but left a week early. A back injury prevented him from playing a single minute.
Later that year, a hamstring injury put him out of the autumn series and another injury curtailed his involvement in the 2019 Grand Slam.
Elsewhere, Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel hopes to have Rhys Patchell fit for the game after he missed last weekend's defeat to Sharks with a calf injury. Wing Ryan Conbeer could also return after a shoulder injury.
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