Six Nations
Lazarus Dan Biggar completes 'miraculous recovery' from injury
PA Sport
February 11, 2016
Dan Biggar
Dan Biggar© GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images

Wales boss Warren Gatland has hailed Dan Biggar's "miraculous recovery" that means his fly-half playmaker will resume normal service against RBS 6 Nations opponents Scotland on Saturday.

Gatland also revealed that Biggar's teammates have started calling him Lazarus following a startling four-day turnaround in fortunes.

Biggar, arguably Wales' best player at the Rugby World Cup earlier this season, limped off midway through the first half of last Sunday's 16-16 draw with Ireland in Dublin due to a sprained ankle.

But he now lines up in an unchanged Wales team that will target a ninth successive victory over Scotland since Gatland became head coach eight years ago.

"We feared the worst after the game when you saw him in a boot and on crutches," Gatland said.

"We spoke to the medics, who thought it was a three to five-week injury, but the scan came back clear. He has worked really hard since the game in terms of his recovery, icing it and stuff.

"He had to get through [Thursday's] training, and he did that and looked sharp. I promise you there was no gamesmanship involved with Dan!

"He has made a miraculous recovery, and the boys have been joking, calling him Lazarus and stuff. The boys have been wanting his matchday fee to go into the pot as a fine."

Reflecting on his recovery, Biggar told WRU TV: "It has been a remarkable recovery, really. Limping off on Sunday, I thought it was going to be a couple of weeks' job.

"Luckily, it has healed up nicely over the last couple of days.

"I have been icing around the clock. I have had my foot in an ice bucket for the last four days, and obviously getting a lot of treatment and resting up."

Gatland's gamesmanship reference came after Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt had suggested an element of that in a pre-match television interview last Sunday regarding Wales fullback Gareth Anscombe's late withdrawal from the Aviva Stadium encounter due to a tight hamstring.

Asked about it on Thursday, Gatland said: "I just think the question he was asked put him [Schmidt] on the spot a little bit.

"I spoke to Joe afterwards and he said the question had thrown him a little bit and he couldn't even remember what he had responded with.

"We had a good chat about it, and probably as coaches it's a case of making sure we stick together and not try and allow anyone to put wedges between us, which can easily happen with a wrong comment or a wrong interpretation of something."

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