Scarlets Confirm Latest Injury Woes

It’s currently a mixed bag of fortunes for the Davies brothers on the injury front with Head Coach, Wayne Pivac today confirming that James has ruptured his PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) and will be out for 3 – 4 months. “It’s a massive blow, with two othr sevens out it puts a real strain on the team,” confirmed Pivac.
“James is a quality player not just with his work at the breakdown, but the way we play the game in attack he is a big part of that.” He added, “He has become a leader in the group, he was stepping up nicely in that classroom role and as a senior player in the group. He will be sorely missed, but it is just one of those things.”
Meanwhile, elder brother, Jon is back in full training this week and will be available for selection for the weekend.
Pivac also confirmed that Leigh Halfpenny and Gareth Davies would not be considered for this weekend’s fixtures due to their Dual Contracts. Both hobbled off during the Connacht fixture, but Halfpenny’s knock to the ankle is not thought to be serious and Davies played last week with an infected toe and was substituted as it became increasingly uncomfortable.
Captain, Ken Owens will also be rested this weekend, with Steve Cummins added to the injured list after a clash of heads. This is his third head injury in six months and the Scarlets are ensuring that he is well looked after and he has been referred to a specialist in Birmingham.
There is good news though! Both Will Boyde and Josh Macleod are on target to make a welcome return for next week’s local derby against the Ospreys and with Davies on the side-lines, they have an opportunity to stake a real claim for the number seven shirt in his absence. It’s likely that promising youngster, Dan Davies will be given an opportunity to shine on the weekend.
Despite the injury woes, Pivac insisted that rather than bringing in temporary cover for the back row, those within the club would be given the opportunity first, though he admitted that they were constantly aware of who was available and would weigh things up should the need arise.
Also, on target to return for the Ospreys fixture is Prop, Rob Evans, whilst Aaron Shingler is also on target to return around Christmas time.
Both Steff Evans and Clayton Blommetjies have spent the first part of the season working on their conditioning and fitness, but they are likely to feature on the weekend with Pivac revealing, “Clayton will be involved in some shape or form this week. Steff has been doing the work in terms of fitness and sharpness after coming back from quite a serious knee injury. There’s a good chance he’ll be involved in the twenty-three.
With a proud home record to protect, the visit of the Southern Kings will hopefully be an opportunity for the squad to right some of the wrongs of last weeks’ defeat in Galway, with Pivac openly admitting that Connacht were allowed too much possession and the kicking game and game management of the Scarlets was not what it should have been.
In contrast, the Kings will arrive at Parc y Scarlets on the back of a resounding victory against Glasgow last weekend.
Kick-off on Saturday is at 6.30pm