JENKINS OUT INJURED

The 31-times capped tight head prop has suffered from a recurring injury with his right shoulder and Cardiff Blues and the Welsh management decided it was better for him to have surgery than try to play on with the problem.

Jenkins became one of the stalwarts of the Lions pack in New Zealand last summer and was one of the few players who emerged with his reputation enhanced. Now viewed as the cornerstone of the Welsh eight, he scored the vital first try in the Grand Slam victory over Ireland in March.

His operation means that Worcester’s Chris Horsman could get his first taste of international rugby when the northern hemisphere champions, Wales, take on the Tri-Nations winners, New Zealand, at the Millennium Stadium on 5 November.

Horsman has completed his three years residency in Wales and has been in superb form for his club this season in the Guinness Premiership and is likely to join the Welsh front row pool with Ospreys duo Duncan and Adam Jones and the Blues’s John Yapp.

Wales coach Mike Ruddock is already sweating on the return of two more Lions, Shane Williams and Gavin Henson, who have both undergone groin operations this month.