Leigh Halfpenny: Wales and Scarlets full-back looks set for long spell out
- Published
Leigh Halfpenny was 19 when he made his Wales debut in 2008
Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury as he made his 100th Test appearance in the 68-12 win against Canada.
Halfpenny, 32, went down inside the first minute with suspected anterior cruciate ligament damage.
The Scarlets player was winning his 96th Wales cap, having also played in four British and Irish Lions Tests.
"We'll know more once he's had a scan," said Wales head coach Wayne Pivac.
Halfpenny fell to the ground after stepping off his left foot.
"It was a shock to everyone, wasn't it? Just under a minute into the game," added Pivac.
"He's just stepped off one leg and tweaked the knee. We won't know how bad it is until he gets that scanned and he'll do that early next week.
"He was devastated but he's chatting to the boys in the dressing room now. He's in his 100th test match and he knew straight away he'd done something. We just don't know how bad it is.
"He was frustrated that was how his 100th Test finished. Anyone would be like that I guess."
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If the worst-case scenario is realised, Pivac believes Halfpenny can return to the international stage.
"I had a chat with him after the game and no matter what it is, Leigh is a determined young man," added Pivac.
"He wants to play 100 games for his country, as well as 100 Test matches combined with those Lions ones.
"He's still driven and he still feels he can offer something for his country. While he has that at the forefront of his mind, I have no doubt he'll bounce back."
Pivac confirmed Hallam Amos, Owen Lane and Ioan Lloyd were in contention to replace Halfpenny in the back three next week.
Wales responded after losing Halfpenny and conceding an early Canada score to cross for 10 tries in a comprehensive win.
"It's a new group of guys," said Pivac.
"Foxy (Jonathan Davies) was the only one in the starting line-up last time we played. There has been a lot of work going on in the last few weeks.
"We were really eager to see how the guys would go and see how they combined. It wasn't the start that anyone wanted but the reaction to that was good.
"To have 40 points in the bank by half-time, you have to be relatively pleased.
"We knew there would be mistakes and there were. We'll look at that and pull out the learnings for individuals and for the group as a whole."
Wales sealed victory in front of 6,164 supporters, with 8,200 tickets issued in the 74,500-capacity stadium.
"It sounded a lot more than that," said Pivac.
"Clearly the fans enjoyed being back. There was a little bit of rain in the warm-up but the sun came out and it was an enjoyable afternoon."