Jones is set to undergo a second shoulder surgery

WALES captain Alun Wyn Jones is to undergo a second operation on the shoulder he damaged while playing against New Zealand in the recent autumn series.

But the 36-year-old Ospreys lock is confident he will play again this season.

The news came from the region’s head coach Toby Booth at his team’s weekly press conference.

Jones dislocated a shoulder in the 19th minute of Wales’ game with the All Blacks on October 30.

The shoulder is the same one he dislocated on Lions duty against Japan in June. He has already been under the knife since the New Zealand game, but he needs further attention.

Booth said: “He has had one operation, and he needs a second, so we won’t really know [what happens] until the second one is done, which is in a couple of weeks.

“We will see where that is and what that gives us. With all the best scans in the world, until you get in there, you don’t really know.

“But he is very confident, and that’s Al for you, and we will put everything around him to make his recovery as quick as possible.

“He is [confident he will play again this season]. The worst thing you can say to Al is that he won’t do something. He has got the attitude and mindset, and that’s what sets him apart from a lot of other people. We will get him back as fast as his mind and his body allows. We are pretty confident about that.”

This latest blow comes after the Western Mail revealed earlier this month that Jones would be ruled out of the 2022 Six Nations. The lock set a new world record for caps for one country when he played against New Zealand, taking his Wales tally to 149.

Justin Tipuric and George North are also both on the Ospreys’ injury list, along with fellow international Dan Lydiate and young hooker Dewi Lake.

Like Jones, Tipuric damaged a shoulder in the Lions game against Japan, but he is on target for a December comeback with Booth saying he felt the goal of the flanker playing again by Christmas was realistic.

“He has been training with us in non-contact stuff, so we believe he is on track,” he said.

North, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament problem in April, is a little way behind but expected to return in the new year.

“Often, with long-term injuries, the first thing is the surgery success, then you get quite a steep improvement, and then it’s the final third of their rehab where it ebbs and flows, depending on how they react,” Booth said.

He said the signs were encouraging that North would be available for the Six Nations.

Lake, meanwhile, is back in full training and set to be available once again for the Ospreys in December, with Lydiate on a similar timeline to North.

Booth also provided an update on Adam Beard, who was hit out of Wales’ Australia game early on by a head-high challenge from Rob Valetini, with the Ospreys saying there was no structural damage.

“When you see something like that the first concern is whether he’s okay,” Booth said.

“I was in contact with him in the evening and he was quite coherent.

“He got a nice black eye and a lot of stitches but is recovering well. He is on a down week and won’t be involved this weekend for obvious reasons, especially on a short turnaround. He is safe and healthy with his family. Just a head injury assessment recovery and some external damage.”

■ Who makes our team of the autumn? Pages 46&47