By Joe Mansfield and Dylan James.
WALES winger Josh Adams will miss the first two games of the 2021 Guinness Six Nations Championship after he broke the squad’s bio-secure bubble.
Adams attended a family gathering that broke lockdown rules on Sunday and was removed from the squad when the Wales coaching staff became aware of the breach in protocol.
The Cardiff Blues winger will remain away from the squad until Monday for health reasons and will not be selected for the game against Scotland as punishment.
Wayne Pivac’s squad have returned 100% negative test results since the breach. If the squad return negative test results again tomorrow then it is unlikely that the game against Ireland on Sunday will be affected further.
Adams, who was top try scorer at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, was “upfront and honest” about the mistake he’d made, and Wayne Pivac insisted the squad had been tested to ensure this breach didn’t have any repercussions.
“Everybody had been tested and the results came through this morning. We had 100% negative testing and we have testing again tomorrow.”
Pivac also explained that the event Adams attended was “just close family”.
“It was at a family member’s home, not too far from his own home, but it was in breach of the rules. It was a family milestone which they are very proud of, but unfortunately it was in breach of the rules.”
The 25-year-old winger, who has 28 caps with Wales, has proven to be quite the role model in recent years, nonetheless, Pivac maintained that Adams was disappointed and realised what harm he could have caused.
“He realised he made a mistake and made an error in judgement. He was very honest and up front straight away, as you would expect.”
“He’s put his hands up and apologised to the team. He wants to apologise to everybody that supports Welsh rugby, because he realises he’s made a foolish mistake.”
With the first test against Ireland on Sunday, the timing of this breach couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Welsh team, as they face Ireland in the opening round. Pivac explained how disappointed he was upon receiving the news.
“Obviously we are all disappointed. That’s why we have dealt with it as quickly as we have and as seriously as we have.”
With Liam Williams out for the first test due to suspension, Adams’ exit leaves Pivac with just three wingers to choose from, but the Wales coach is confident his team’s versatility can accommodate for such a loss.
