Scarlets wing Mark Jones will miss his side’s final two Heineken Cup matches this month and now faces a race against time to be fit for the start of the RBS Six Nations.
The 29-year-old wing has been forced to undergo an appendix operation that is likely to sideline for at least three weeks.
It means the man who helped Wales win the Grand Slam last season will have little time to prove to coach Warren Gatland that he is fit and ready to take his place in the opening championship match against Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday, 8 February.
With 43 caps to his credit, Jones has become one of Wales’ most consistent performers on the international stage and will be hoping to use the Six Nations to push his claims to a p[lace on the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa.
