Injury ends Dafydd Jones' Wales and Scarlets career

[TRF_Cymro]

Wales and Scarlets back-row Dafydd Jones has been forced to retire from rugby because of injury.

The 31-year-old has not played since injuring his left shoulder after coming on as a replacement in Wales' defeat to New Zealand in November 2009.

Jones underwent two surgeries to try and repair the A/C joint and nerve damage but he has been forced to hang up his boots on medical advice.

"This has been a really tough time for me and my family," Jones said.

"It's a very hard decision to retire from rugby which has been the sport and career I've known and loved since I was a teenager.

"All my efforts have gone into playing rugby for the Scarlets and for Wales and I am very proud of and enjoyed everything I have done.

"It has taken a while to sink in that I'm not actually going to be playing any more, but the decision was really made for me as the medics said there was no way back from the damage caused by the injury.

"The good thing is I have great memories of playing - some great contests and victories to look back on with real enjoyment, I'm lucky that I've played alongside, against and worked with some world-class rugby greats."

Aberaeron product Jones made his senior Llanelli debut in the 1996/7 season, on St Valentine's Day against Leeds, and became a mainstay of the west Wales side both for the club and later as the Scarlets region.

The 6ft 3in powerhouse played 201 games for Llanelli and the Scarlets, scoring 24 tries, and earned his first Wales cap against Fiji on 9 November 2002, going on to represent his country on 42 occasions, scoring two tries.

"I've had great opportunities as a player - a World Cup in 2003, being part of the Wales squad for the 2005 Grand Slam and there's the 2004 international against the All Blacks and being up against Richie McCaw - I won't forget that contest!" Jones added.

"There's been lots of great Scarlets highlights, mainly the European ones like beating Northampton at Franklin Gardens, the Toulouse back-to-back wins home and away, and I was part of two Celtic league [***le] wins for the Scarlets as well."

The Scarlets say that Jones will continue his association with them for the next six months by undertaking various roles within the region to develop his non-rugby skills and experience.

These roles will include assisting with the Academy, working within the community department to help inspire young players of the future and sponsor relationship duties.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/9337403.stm​

 

[MichaelBoard]

Sad to see another Welsh player being forced to retire through injury, good player and great servant for Wales.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

He would have been key to the international development of Lydiate had he'd been fit. A blow in my eyes for Wales, an underrated player when he played for Wales!

 

[dullonien]

A career devastated by injury. At times he was one of the best Welsh blindside flankers of the past decade, but at crucial times serious injury struck, with this latest injury not long after getting back to his best.

Luckily we've got a host of talented blindsides emerging at the moment in the form of Lydiate, McCusker, Turnbull and Tipuric, so his loss isn't as big a blow as it was in the past.

Good luck to him in whatever he decides to do in the future. One of the best recent players to hail from Mid Wales.