Callender raring to go for Wales after World Cup injury scare
Alex Callender has handed Wales a major fitness boost ahead of their crucial Rugby World Cup opener against Scotland.The co-captain had been named in Wales' 32-player squad on Monday, but there were doubts whether the Harlequins back row would feature against their Six Nations rivals on 23 August.Callender picked up an ankle injury in the second Test defeat against Australia on 1 August, with the sight of her on crutches fuelling fears her tournament could be over before it had begun. But the 25-year-old allayed those fears on Tuesday, confirming her selection availability for when head coach Sean Lynn names his side for their opener in Salford. "It was a precaution to take me off, I just tweaked an old injury, but I'm raring to go for Scotland," Callender said.
Callender sat out most of the Six Nations with an ankle injury she picked up while playing for Harlequins, but showed what a miss she had been in Wales' impressive first Test win against the Wallaroos in Brisbane, topping the statistics for tackles and carrying.She admitted her first thoughts were "Oh God, here we go" when she went down just four minutes into the second Test in Sydney.And asked if she thought her World Cup was over, she added: "Yes, to be honest but I'm in a really good place at the moment, I'm just excited to get going."Lynn said they will manage their star back row carefully, but added reassurance that Wales were "all on track" heading into the Scotland game.
Wales' opening game is already being billed as their World Cup final, with Pool B also containing a Canada ranked second in the world and widely expected to top the group.Fiji, managed by Wales' former head coach Ioan Cunningham, will also be fighting for one of two spots to the knockout stage.If the fixture seems like a deja vu, you would be right. It is exactly the same scenario from the last World Cup. Fortunately for Wales, they edged that contest against the Scots thanks to a last-minute penalty kicked by Keira Bevan."We live for these moments and these Test matches," said Callender."We're all really excited to step out and showcase all the hard work that we've put in over the last couple of months, and hopefully we can put in a performance and the result will follow."
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