By Louis Chapman-Coombe
Exeter Chiefs Director of Rugby Rob Baxter has confirmed young scrum-half Will Becconsall will miss the rest of the season through injury.
Becconsall, 21, picked up a shoulder injury before the warm-up in the Chiefs 41-5 defeat to Sale Sharks last weekend, but it appears he will now miss the rest of the Chiefs campaign.
Speaking to the media ahead of his side’s Champions Cup clash with Bath, Baxter detailed the half-back will need surgery: “Will looks likely to be out for the season. He’s re-injured his shoulder, and we’ve got to do a more invasive operation to get it sorted and give him the time now to get the strength back in it.”
He added: “He could be back before the end of the season, but he’d then be in this same scenario where it may not take a significant blow to cause the same problem again. I think now we’ve just got to take that bigger operative route and try and get this right once and for all.”
Becconsall broke into the Chiefs first team last season, following injuries to Jack and Sam Maunder respectively, and he quickly cemented his spot in the number nine jersey. He was part of the team that lifted the Premiership Cup, and he also started the Champions Cup semi-final against La Rochelle.
Whilst last season might have been the Cornishman’s breakout year, this season he has been ravaged by injuries. He featured in the Premiership Cup match against Jersey but had to wait until the Chiefs’ friendly against the Scarlets during the Premiership break to take to the pitch again.
On his return, he did start both the Premiership Cup semi-final against Gloucester and the Premiership game against Newcastle Falcons, but he will now miss the remainder of the season.
This is undoubtedly a blow for the Chiefs academy product, but Baxter detailed Becconsall ‘understands’ the current situation: “I think he understands that you don’t want to be continuing in a position where you’re worried about something happening. It’ll take him a little while, but he will get his head around that this is the right time in his career and the right time of the season to do it.”
He added: “It was great to have him back and get him out there and available, but the reality is now we have got to take this decision. It is the right thing for us in the longer term and it is certainly the right thing for him in the longer term when you look at his age now.”
The injury to Becconsall will likely lead to Stu Townsend retaining the starting nine shirt this weekend against Bath, as the Chiefs hope to progress to the Champions Cup quarter-finals.