Taulupe Faletau faces finger surgery after Cardiff comeback

Taulupe Faletau is set for another spell out of rugby after injuring a finger on his return for Cardiff, BBC Sport Wales reported. The 35-year-old Wales number eight will undergo surgery and miss the United Rugby Championship derby against Ospreys on 31 October, interrupting his comeback after a lengthy absence.

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Faletau made his first appearance since March in Cardiff's Champions Cup defeat by Northampton on 18 October. According to the BBC report, he experienced pain in a finger in the days after the match. Cardiff head coach Corniel van Zyl said the problem involved his little finger and expressed hope that he would be available after November. That remains a hoped-for return rather than a confirmed recovery date.

The setback follows a restricted run of appearances for the club. Since arriving from Bath in 2022, Faletau has played 31 times for Cardiff, with shoulder, calf and knee problems limiting him to seven outings last season. Van Zyl said Faletau had not initially realised there was a problem after the Northampton match, explaining that the finger became sore afterwards.

His limited playing time had already kept him out of Wales' Nations Championship squad. Cardiff team-mate Taine Basham instead earned a recall. Wales head coach Steve Tandy has not closed the door on Faletau returning to international rugby, but said the forward needed to demonstrate that he could stay fit as well as perform. Faletau has represented Wales 109 times and appeared at three World Cups.

Cardiff also face the Ospreys fixture without Wales back-row players Alex Mann, James Botham and Basham. They are hoping Alun Lawrence can be available for the trip to Swansea, although the number eight has yet to play this season because of injury problems. His availability is another unresolved issue as Cardiff prepare for the final match of their opening block of fixtures.

Dan Thomas, summer recruit Semisi Paea and Lucas de la Rua have all featured in Cardiff's back row this season, while hooker Evan Lloyd offers another option, the BBC reported. The injury update comes after Cardiff lost to Sharks at the Arms Park on Friday, their third consecutive defeat. Faletau signed a one-year contract extension last summer, but his immediate priority is recovering from this latest interruption.