The challenge for Justin Tipuric will be to make the comeback stronger than the setback.
It won’t be easy after 14 months on the sidelines.
Nothing stands still in any walk of life, and especially in sport where so much can change so quickly.
Read more: What's become of the players you'd forgotten played rugby for Wales
Do not underestimate the scale of the challenge facing Tipuric, then, when he starts his return from the scapula injury that has sidelined him since June 26, 2021. You can read more about the 'never seen before' problem that he has been dealing with here.
The Ospreys have pencilled him in to resume when they host Northampton Saints at the Brewery Field next weekend. It could take a while before he returns to peak-performance level, but the No. 7 is a driven, competitive individual and the assumption is he will eventually get there should his body allow.
The question for Wales coach Wayne Pivac is what to do about the No. 7 shirt.
Tommy Reffell performed exceptionally on Wales’ tour of South Africa this summer, banking a lot of credit in the process, but Tipuric has vast experience gained over 11 years in Test rugby. He has one of the best defensive games in the world, creates and organises. During the last World Cup, the French called him the brains of the Wales team.
Writing in The Rugby Paper, his old Ospreys team-mate Shane Williams predicts the mother of all battles for the Wales openside position in the coming season.
Of Tipuric, he says: “As far as I’m concerned, he is one of the world’s greatest players, but it will be interesting to see if he goes straight back into Pivac’s starting XV for their next Test match against New Zealand in November. Obviously, this is all assuming he stays fit and picks up where he left off on his return to play for the Ospreys in the early weeks of the season.
“Wales’ strength in depth at openside is well-documented but Tommy Reffell is the only player I think Pivac will seriously consider starting ahead of Tipuric.”
Maybe Reffell was Wales' best player in South Africa.
Many coming into the Test arena for the first time would have been fazed by the challenge of facing ultra-physical opponents in their own backyard; he wasn't.
Instead, he tackled bravely and proved a dominant figure at the breakdown, pulling off a number of turnovers. He also displayed considerable rugby intelligence.
“Make no bones about it, the Pencoed product is the man in possession of the No. 7 jersey, and the onus is very much on Tipuric to win back his shirt,” says Williams.
“But Tipuric’s all-round game is phenomenal, and his overall contribution is too great to ignore, be it his ability at the lineout, his class in open play, his faultless defence, and his experience.
“That will certainly be a battle to watch out for over the coming season, with the likes of Taine Basham, Jac Morgan, Ellis Jenkins and Thomas Young also in contention.”
Tipuric has been there before, of course, with the Trebanos man once having Sam Warburton to compete with: Wales' skipper at the time and very much a towering player in his own right. He has always welcomed competition, and that's just as well because over the coming season he's going to have plenty of it. Expect him to respond, though.
Williams also tips Leigh Halfpenny to mount a strong case to be part of Pivac’s World Cup plans once he returns from long-term injury, while he doesn’t rule out Scarlets youngster Harri O’Connor from making a run for one of the tight-head places.
READ NEXT:
Young Wales international expected to 'tear up Welsh Premiership' after making bold move
The Welsh rugby favourite fostering talent for Wales in England
New Zealand beaten at home by Argentina as historic defeat rocks All Blacks
Pivac pays tribute to 'legend' Davies as he quits Wales set-up
