Wales' Taulupe Faletau does not require ankle surgery

The number eight was forced off with the injury during Newport Gwent Dragons' Pro12 victory over Zebre on December 21.

It was initially feared the problem could be a recurrence of a previous issue, but Dragons forwards coach Kingsley Jones has allayed any such fears.

"It seems he tweaked an ankle," he told Wales Online. "The specialist he saw said it was nothing major and for Toby [Faletau] to see how it goes.

"Sometimes there's a rush for players to have surgery but it was decided to wait for it to settle down.

"Toby has trained. He's done some running on it under the guidance of our medical staff and conditioning team.

"We haven't ruled him out of the New Year's Day derby with Cardiff Blues at Rodney Parade."