Taulupe Faletau will hand Wales head coach Wayne Pivac a welcome late Christmas present when he makes his long-awaited return to action for Bath Rugby.
The No.8 has been named in the starting line-up for his club’s clash against Sale Sharks in the Premiership on Saturday in what will be his first game of rugby since January.
And you have to go back to March 2018 for his last appearance for Wales, which came in that year’s narrow Guinness Six Nations victory against France in Cardiff.
It’s been an injury-ravaged 18 months for Faletau, who has twice fractured his arm and then broke his collar bone this summer to rule him out of the World Cup in Japan.
But the 29-year-old will be able to put his troubles behind him with his first run out of the season – and the timing of his return could prove a timely boost for Pivac.
With the Guinness Six Nations just around the corner, Pivac will be praying that Faletau comes through the encounter unscathed as the countdown to the Championship continues.
A fit and firing Faletau would only aid Wales in their bid to retain the Championship crown they clinched in style after completing the clean sweep in 2019 under Warren Gatland.
With Josh Navidi and Ross Moriarty also on the comeback trail after their own injury lay-offs, Pivac will be licking his lips at the back-row options he has at his disposal for the new year.
The likes of Justin Tipuric, Aaron Wainwright and Aaron Shingler will also be in the mix for the 2020 Championship along with rookies Ollie Griffiths, Taine Basham and Shane Lewis-Hughes.
