Gareth Anscombe: Wales fly-half could play for Ospreys this season, says Toby Booth

Gareth Anscombe suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the World Cup warm-up defeat at Twickenham in August 2019

Head coach Toby Booth hopes Gareth Anscombe could make his Ospreys debut late this season as the Wales fly-half looks to overcome a serious knee injury.

Anscombe, 29, limped off playing for Wales against England in August 2019 and aggravated the injury last autumn.

He was ruled out for up to 12 months in October 2020, but Booth says he may yet return in 2020-21.

"He's going really well," Booth said.

"He's around us a lot more now because he's able to do big sessions and bits and pieces and he's coming along nicely, which is really encouraging for him and for us."

Anscombe joined Ospreys from Cardiff Blues in the summer of 2019 but is yet to play for the region because of his fitness problems.

The Ospreys' season is due to end with the Rainbow Nations Cup in mid-June.

Asked if Anscombe could feature in this campaign, Booth said: "Yes, maybe.

"He's in a scenario where we need to be very careful, because of a double injury, as in the same injury taking a great amount of time.

"We'll go as fast as his body lets him go. We are pretty confident from what we've seen that he's going to get back.

"The question of when he gets back will depend on how he responds to the last part of his training."

Booth stressed that there is no pressure on Anscombe, who was Wales' first-choice fly-half as they claimed the 2019 Six Nations Grand Slam but then missed the World Cup because of the injury.

"What happens is that you get to 80 to 85 percent of where you need to be and that last 15 percent is very difficult," he added.

"There's a psychological element, about being emotionally and physically ready and about trusting your body.

"So we need to condition the player both physically and mentally to be able to perform, especially in the position that he plays."