Jones hasn’t featured since the opening Dove Men Series encounter with South Africa on November 9 but is all set to start Friday night’s RaboDirect PRO12 clash between the Ospreys and Blues at the Arms Park.
The 33-year-old tighthead suffered a calf injury late in the first half against the Springboks and missed the remaining Tests against Argentina, Tonga and Australia as a result. He also sat out the Ospreys’ Heineken Cup double header with French Champions Castres Olympique but he has now handed his side a huge boost ahead of three of the most hotly-anticipated games of the season.
After taking on the Blues tomorrow night, the four times PRO12 Champions face the Scarlets in Llanelli on Boxing Day before hosting the reverse fixture in Swansea on January 3. The Ospreys were 21-12 winners in Europe last weekend and head coach Steve Tandy is hoping that the return of Jones can help them kick on against their Welsh rivals in what he expects will be hugely competitive and compelling fixtures.
“It’s important that we are at our best in Cardiff in front of a big and passionate crowd. We know there’ll be a large travelling support there from Ospreylia, enjoying the rivalry, and we want them to be proud of what this group is doing,” said Tandy.
“If we can keep the momentum going and put in the kind of performance they expect, we’ll be in a good place before back-to-back games against the Scarlets.
“We are looking to build some momentum after showing some good signs in the games against Castres, where we started to see the boys taking what we’ve been doing in training on to the pitch. The win last weekend was a great result for everybody involved with the region, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. The boys have worked hard in training this week, striving to continue improving, in preparation for what will be a busy period.
“This is the first game of a busy five weeks with three big derbies followed by the final two rounds of the Heineken Cup. Christmas is a great time for rugby, with fans coming together with family and friends to watch the game. It’s about the tradition and the rivalry and it’s fantastic for regional rugby in Wales that we are going to have a series of games with big crowds and great atmospheres.”
The Ospreys will be without Wales hooker Richard Hibbard for the clash with the Blues and the away tie with the Scarlets, though, as he recovers from a chipped bone in his hand.
Hibbard picked up the problem against Castres on Friday night but the Ospreys are hopeful he could return in time for the second of the clashes with the Scarlets in just over a fortnight’s time.
“(The injury) is likely to rule him out of the away games against Cardiff and Scarlets,” said Ospreys physio Chris Towers. “We expect this to settle fairly quickly, though, and remain optimistic about his prospects of being available for the game against the Scarlets at the Liberty Stadium.”
Former Wales skipper Ryan Jones is another of those absent this weekend, with Andrew Bishop, Aaron Jarvis, Eli Walker, Dmitri Arhip, Dan Baker, Lloyd Peers and Tom Smith also unavailable.
