Scarlets prop Jones could miss World Cup

Jones dislocated his shoulder in January but having recovered from that setback the 23-year-old had hoped to star in the upcoming World Cup, which begins in September, particularly with first-choice tight-head Samson Lee currently recovering from a serious Achilles problem.

Yet Jones' hopes of appearing in the tournament appear to have been dashed by a ruptured pectoral muscle which occurred at a Wales training camp.

The Scarlets forward, who made seven GUINNESS PRO12 appearances last season, will be ruled out for 12 to 16 weeks.

And while saddened by the loss of Jones, Gatland has moved quickly to bring Cardiff Blues' Scott Andrews on board and believes the squad is still in great shape.

"It is hugely disappointing for Rhodri," said Gatland. "He was working extremely hard out in Switzerland. We wish him all the best with his recovery from the injury.

"It is a great opportunity for Scott to come into the squad and show us what he is capable of.

"In terms of the tight-head position, Samson [Lee] has continued to make excellent progress and we have been very impressed with both Aaron Jarvis and Tomas Francis during the first batch of training."

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