LONDON Welsh scrum half Piri Weepu yesterday played down concerns about the ankle injury that has left his right foot in a protective boot.

The World Cup-winning All Black has not played since being forced off in Welsh’s Aviva Premiership clash with Newcastle on October 11.

But as he took part in the Exiles’ Big City Scrum in Oxford, Weepu insisted the boot was “just a precaution”.

“I am trying to take the weight off the leg to see if it settles down,” he said.

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“It’s an ongoing injury. I am just trying to manage it as much as possible, so they have put me in a boot for a few days.”

Weepu added: “I got a whack against Newcastle and tried to carry on with it.

“I didn’t want to come off, but they pulled the pin on me because it didn’t look like it was getting better.”

Welsh visit Bath in their LV= Cup opener on Saturday, but Weepu said he could be back for the following Sunday’s home game against Gloucester.

“Hopefully, it will be next week,” he said.

“I have just to wait and see if it settles down by Monday when I start training again. I feel all right.”

Weepu could hardly have expected to still be waiting for his first win after joining Welsh in the summer.

But he stressed the only way to approach their plight was to be positive.

“You have to be,” he said. “There’s no point in being negative about the situation.

“As a team, we have just got to stay collected and keep working on bettering our performances.

“You can take positives out of the majority of our games, but at some stage you have got to make sure that it all comes together.

“Everyone is trying as much as possible.”

Weepu was one of 25 Welsh signings made in the close season and such a turnover may not have helped them.

“You have got guys from different teams trying to come together,” he said.

“It’s not easy trying to get to know how each individual plays.

“Trying to work things out defensively makes things a bit harder.”

Oxford Mail:

  • London Welsh captain Tom May taking part in the club’s ‘Big Scrum’ promotion in Bonn Square where he takes on brothers William, nine, and Ben Beerling, three, from Thame on the tackle bag  Picture: Jon Lewis 

The Big City Scrum saw Welsh train at St Edward’s School in the morning before heading into central Oxford.

Players were involved in events ranging from line-out demonstrations and a fastest pass competition to serving burgers at GBK.

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