The Scarlets look as though they are going to have to limp back into action in the Guinness PRO14 at Ulster on Saturday.
Head coach Wayne Pivac has got 14 players, seven of them internationals, on the injury list and is set to head to Belfast without Wales and British & Irish Lions full back Leigh Halfpenny, who is struggling with a tight groin.
Halfpenny is one of eight players who appeared in the PRO14 final defeat to Leinster in Dublin last season who are currently unavailable, while new Springbok signing Uzair Cassiem is awaiting reports on scans on the Achilles injury he picked up in last weekend’s 40 point pre-season defeat at Bath.
If the scans show a rupture then Cassiem could find himself on the sidelines for a very long time, leaving Pivac hoping one of his younger back row players can step up to the mark. Cassiem and Scottish qualified Kiwi Blade Thomson were brought in as direct replacement for John Barclay and Tadhg Beirne, so to lose one of them would be a huge blow.
Scarlets Injuries
Paul Asquith (calf), Jake Ball (bicep tendon), Will Boyde (shoulder op), Angus O’Brian( fractured hand), Uzair Cassiem (Achilles), Dylan Evans (shoulder), Jonathan Evans (foot), Leigh Halfpenny (groin), Wyn Jones (calf), Samson Lee (cheekbone), Johnny McNicholl (facial fracture), Hadleigh Parkes (finger), Lewis Rawlins (shoulder op), Aaron Shingler (knee op)
The Bath defeat also saw Wales right head prop Samson Lee leave the field after only two minutes with two fractures in his cheekbone. He has had a metal plate inserted, but could return to play next week against Leinster.
“Apart from that we are good to go. We didn’t expect to hit our straps in the early rounds,” said Pivac, who is in his last season in charge before taking over the Wales job from Warren Gatland in 2019.
“Look, these injuries happen, and some are surgeries that get done in the off-season. If you get knocked out in round robin those guys are usually ready for round one, but if you go through to the final it puts pressure on for the start of the season.
“It just means we are using our squad from round one, but that’s what we are all about. It’s going to be a good challenge in Belfast.
“They are in a similar boat to us looking at their pre-season, so it should be a pretty level playing field. In the first game up you are never playing at Grand Final standard.
“We won’t lose too much sleep if we win, lose or draw in the early rounds. We expect to get stronger as the season goes on.”
One piece of good news for Pivac this week has been confirmation that experienced hooker Marc Jones has been cleared by Sale Sharks to join the region. With almost 150 English Premiership matches to his credit since 2005, the former Sharks (133) and Bristol (11) front row man has joined the 2017 champions to complete a full circle in his playing career.
The Treorchy Youth and Cardiff Blues North U18 player left Wales as a teenager to sign for the Sharks. He left with a Wales U18 cap to his credit, but there have been no honours since for the Pontypridd-born player, who will now finally get his chance to play at the top level back home in his native Wales.
He played for Wales Under 18 alongside future internationals Rhys Priestland, Josh Turnbull and Will Harries. He also packed down with future Wigan rugby league star Ben Flower.
“This opportunity to join the Scarlets is one that I’m particularly excited by and can’t wait to get started this week. I was born and bred in Wales and have always harboured ambitions of playing my rugby at home,” said Jones.
“I’m extremely proud to have represented Sale Sharks for the best part of a decade, but this new opportunity is one that I’m looking forward to and we’re excited by as a family. The Scarlets have led the way in recent seasons and I’m looking forward to playing part in the seasons to come.”
Jones, who made his debut for the Sharks in the 2005/06 season when the won the Premiership title, will join Scarlets skipper Ken Owens, another international in Ryan Elias, Wales U20 cap Dafydd Hughes and the highly promising Taylor Davies in vying for the No 2 shirt.
“We’re extremely pleased to be in a position to officially confirm Marc’s signing. We have two international hookers in Ken and Ryan and two very exciting prospects in Taylor and Daf,” said Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac.
“Marc is a very experienced player who will challenge Ken and Ryan, but will also be an important asset to us during the international windows.”