The last time No. 8 Taulupe Faletau appeared for Wales was also the last time it won a rugby test.
October 2023, a long 16 months ago.
While Faletau has been absent, Wales has lost every test, a national record 13 in a row.
He was welcomed back in the starting side on Thursday against Italy in Rome in the Six Nations on Saturday.
“He's ready to go. A confidence boost,” Wales coach Warren Gatland said in Nice, France, where the squad has been training since Saturday.
“He brings experience and X-factor. We know what a quality player he's been for Wales. Having him back gives us confidence.”
Wales is desperate to end the losing run, and Gatland's head is on the block. They opened the Six Nations last Friday in Paris and lost to title favorite France 43-0, the first tournament game in which Wales failed to score in 27 years.
Faletau played his 104th and last cap for Wales in October 2023, when they beat Georgia 43-19 in Nantes, France, to clean sweep their Rugby World Cup pool.
But he broke his arm in the game. In his comeback club match in April, he broke his shoulder. He didn't play again until last December. A knee issue made him withdraw before the France game last Friday, and he's finally available.
A fourth British and Irish Lions tour at the end of the season could be on the cards for Faletau, but at 34 with his history of injuries, his test future is murky.
“It's the million dollar question,” Gatland said.
“He's trained well. We had him in the autumn and he has taken a significant part in training. He looked really sharp. He wasn't quite right last week with his knee. It's been tough for him. We are looking for some of those special traits he has to try and inspire people around him.”
Faletau returns to a team with only 11 survivors of the 23 who played in the Georgia win 16 months ago.
Inside center Eddie James will make his first start in his fourth test. He debuted against South Africa last June. Wales hope his 1.93-meter (6-foot-4) frame can break the gain-line in Rome that Wales failed to do enough of in Paris.
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
FILE - Wales' Taulupe Faletau, center, runs into New Zealand's Codie Taylor, right, during the rugby union international match between Wales and New Zealand at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff Wales, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira, File)
