“Toby had a scan on Sunday and then another on Monday and has fractured his shoulder. I can’t give you a timeline on it, but it’s obviously ruled him out for the rest of the season,” said Sherratt.
“There’s nothing wrong structurally around the ligaments, but a fracture has been found. Good news on it is it’s not something they think at the moment needs surgery.
“It’s not complicated or needing to be pinned or anything. It’s something that will heal on its own. Unfortunately, he’ll miss the rest of the season but will hopefully be out there for the start of next season.”
As well as being a massive blow for the 33-year-old Faletau, it is also an injury set-back for Warren Gatland’s Welsh side as they move forward.
“For 25 minutes in Belfast it was almost like he had never been away. He was Toby Faletau, wasn’t he?,” said Sherratt.
“The hardest bit is watching what he’s done to come back. We held him back a little as well, so he was definitely ready after such a substantial time out of the game.
“To see how hard he’s worked off the field, and the excitement he had about coming back, made it even harder.
“I asked him if he was nervous before the Ulster game. He said when he saw his name on the team-sheet, he was.
“That shows what sort of character he is – he’s one of the most humble blokes in the game. He’s just a great pro who worked really hard to get back onto the field.
“Alex Mann actually told me in the warm-up he was nervous because he’s playing with Toby. To see him go off was really gut-wrenching.
“The boys have got around him, and from what I know about him he’ll be back. He loves playing rugby, so he’ll get stuck into his rehab and get back into it.”
