INJURY HELL CONTINUES FOR DAF

The 26-year-old lasted just 60 minutes into his eagerly anticipated comeback game as the Scarlets were beaten by Edinburgh 21-15 in their first Celtic League fixture. Jones had not played since picking up a groin injury in the 11-9 Six Nations win over England in February.

And the heartbreak of missing the remainder of Wales’s famous Grand Slam has been compounded by the news that he will now miss the autumn internationals. Despite having an operation on Tuesday, Jones will not have recovered in time to face New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Fiji later this year.

“It’s hugely disappointing for us but more importantly it’s a devastation as far as Daf is concerned,” said Scarlets director of rugby Gareth Jenkins. “It was a big comeback this season for him, something he’s really been looking forward to having missed most of last season and the celebrations that went with the RBS Six Nations win.

“He took a knock which resulted in a ligament snapping in his finger which then detracted into his arm. There was no alternative really – it was either losing the use of that finger or having surgery to bring the ligament back into the finger and repairing it.”