Ospreys' Ifan Phillips is being treated for life-changing injuries

Ospreys player Ifan Phillips is being treated for life-changing injuries after being involved in a road traffic collision. The region confirmed that 25-year-old Phillips, the son of former Wales and Neath hooker Kevin Phillips, was involved in an accident in Swansea on Sunday and is being treated at Morriston Hospital.

In a statement, South Wales Police said: “Officers are appealing for witnesses following a serious road traffic collision that occurred at around 1.38pm on Sunday, December 5, on the B4603, Morfa Road, Landore, Swansea, opposite Landore Social Club.

“The collision involved two motorcycles, a green Triumph Street Scrambler and a Kawasaki. One rider was taken to hospital, where he remains and is being treated for life-changing injuries.

“The road was closed for a number of hours whilst investigations continued, and we thank anyone affected during this time for their patience. We would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the collision or has dash-cam footage, anyone who stopped to provide assistance or anyone who saw the motorcycles prior to the collision.”

Hooker Phillips has played 40 games for the Ospreys, making his debut in 2017. He is a Wales U20s international. The Ospreys said: “Ospreys can confirm hooker Ifan Phillips was involved in a serious road traffic accident in Swansea on Sunday afternoon and is now being treated at Morriston Hospital.

“Ifan is in a stable condition and he is uppermost in the thoughts of all of us at the Ospreys. On behalf of his teammates, coaches, staff, all Ospreys supporters and the rugby community, we want to extend all our love and support to Ifan, his family and his friends. Ifan’s family are overwhelmed and very grateful for the support they have received in the last few days.”

Ospreys’ regional rivals the Dragons, Cardiff and Scarlets all offered their support. The Dragons tweeted: “The thoughts of us all @dragonsrugby are with Ifan, his friends and family at this difficult time. Take care, stay strong we will support you in any way we can.”

Cardiff tweeted: “Thoughts are with Ifan, his family and everyone at the Ospreys at this difficult time. If we can help in any way, you know where we are.” And the Scarlets said on Twitter: “The thoughts of us all at @scarlets_rugby are with Ifan and his family, as well as team-mates and colleagues at the Ospreys at this time.”

Later on Wednesday, Ospreys boss Toby Booth said: “Obviously, it’s terrible, tragic and very upsetting for all, especially himself and his family. Words fail me a little bit around it, to be honest. Basically, we need to be there for Ifan in whatever capacity for the short, medium and long-term.

“We will do everything we can to support him and help him through the next transition of his life, which is obviously going to be a huge change for him. As you can imagine, they (Ospreys squad) reacted a bit like you would expect to a team-mate having some tragic news. There was a sense of shock, really.

“We have worked through that individually and put support around certain individuals. We’ve had a lot of support from the WRPA (Welsh Rugby Players’ Association) and internally we have people to help, not just Ifan and his family, but the players who are very close to him. To have a career cut short through injury, effectively, is very upsetting, especially at a very young age.

"He was always keen to work hard at his game. He had a good personality, contributed and was always committed. We have reached out and shown individual and collective support and empathy to him. There is sympathy around that, but now it’s about what we do next for the Ospreys and him. Those things won’t finish tomorrow or the next day – they will be continuous for ever more in that respect. We have to do our part.”

Ospreys host Heineken Champions Cup opponents Sale Sharks on Sunday, and Booth added: “There is an emotional side that has contributed to the week. It would be artificial for us to say it is a normal week, because it isn’t.”