Rhodri Jones to join Ospreys

LONDON: Wales prop Rhodri Jones is to leave Scarlets at the end of the season and join Welsh rivals the Ospreys.

Capped 13 times for his country, 24-year-old Jones made his 100th appearance for Scarlets last Friday in the Pro-12 win over Edinburgh.

He signed a dual deal with the Welsh Rugby Union and his region in December 2014 but that will come to an end after this current campaign.

“The Ospreys are a team that is competitive on all fronts, one that is up there with the best,” Jones told the region’s official website after signing a contract which will run until 2018.

“So it’s a real challenge for me to establish myself in the squad.

“I’ve thrown myself into the challenge of switching sides in the scrum, and it’s been hard at times.

“But the Ospreys have a great record for developing forwards and going there will really help me to kick on as a tight-head.”

Jones established himself at the Scarlets in 2010 and made his Wales debut against the Barbarians in June 2012.

But his opportunities both at club and international level have been limited by the emergence of Samson Lee, who has established himself as national coach Warren Gatland’s first-choice tight-head.

Wales and British and Irish Lions prop Gethin Jenkins, meanwhile, is to stay on at the Cardiff Blues until 2017.

The 35-year-old loosehead first played for the Blues in 2004 and he has since appeared 164 times for the region interrupted by a one-season spell with Toulon in 2012-13.

Jenkins is also Wales’ most capped international, having featured on 121 occasions for his country since making his debut in 2002.

“We are naturally very pleased that Gethin has signed a new contract to extend his career at Cardiff Blues,” head coach Danny Wilson told the official club website.

“Gethin is a vastly experienced prop who demands the highest standards from himself and those around him and has excelled at both regional and international level over the last decade.” – AFP