Ospreys not about to risk Tipuric

Welsh international Tipuric made his comeback from injury last month against Edinburgh, but was forced off with a head injury last time out at Munster after just 25 minutes.

The Ospreys still found a way to win, beating the Irish side 19-14, but Tipuric's injury was cause for concern.

And while Gibbes is adamant Tipuric suffered no after-effects from the injury, he believes it is not worth the risk in Italy.

"There are no after-effects in terms of concussion with his head knock. He is fine," Gibbes told Wales Online. "But the way the regulations are with head clashes, he is going to miss this week's game.

"Basically you have to have a clear 24 hours before you can start the process and because of the tight turnaround he is going to miss that window.

"We are putting him at the centre of things and it's the right thing to do.

"It was awesome to see him back out there running around. It was just disappointing he got injured when he did.
"He is a very different type of flanker than the traditional southern hemisphere type open-side.

"He is such a versatile player and an all-round player. He's got a really good skill set. He could be a back."

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