Wales' Alun Wyn Jones and George North not ready for Ospreys return, says Toby Booth
- Published
Alun Wyn Jones and George North have 266 international caps between them
United Rugby Championship: Ospreys v Zebre |
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Venue: Swansea.com Stadium Date: Sunday, 6 March Kick-off: 14:00 GMT |
Coverage: Live on S4C, BBC iPlayer and via the BBC Sport website and app. Highlights on Scrum V, Sunday, BBC Two Wales and online, 6 March from 18:00 GMT and later on demand |
Ospreys head coach Toby Booth says Wales duo George North and Alun Wyn Jones will not return to regional action against Zebre on Sunday.
North, 29, has not played since suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament last April, while Jones, 36, has been sidelined since October 2021.
Booth says lock Jones is not yet fit to play despite linking up with the Wales squad this week.
Ospreys had hoped North may feature against Zebre, but he is not yet ready.
"He's not quite there, to be honest," said Booth.
"He's been out there a few times and we just need to be a little bit more calm. He hasn't really got the training we want under his belt."
North was ruled out of contention for the British and Irish Lions' tour of South Africa last summer after getting injured playing for Ospreys against Cardiff Rugby.
Having helped Wales win the 2021 Six Nations after switching to the centre from his regular role on the wing, North had hoped to return ahead of this year's tournament.
Ospreys had suggested he could be back to full fitness in February, with Zebre's visit pencilled in for a potential return to action.
But Booth added: "After being out for so long, it's important that we do the right thing for George and for the team. He's probably going to miss out this weekend.
"He's very close. He's been out training with us in team sessions, so it's just about backing up a complete week, maybe two complete weeks."
Ospreys' next match is against the Lions in Johannesburg on 25 March.
Jones has joined Wales' Six Nations camp to continue his rehabilitation after shoulder surgery, but not as part of the squad.
The Wales captain was injured in the autumn series loss to New Zealand in October.
"He's done a few warm-ups with us and that's really as far as he's gone," Booth added.
"He's ticked off a lot of boxes. His scan results were very positive.
"From our point of view, we're preparing for a game. He needs to do different aspects of training and not necessarily team preparation.
"Wales are in a fallow week and we're preparing a team, so it makes sense in terms of being able to pull him in and out of parts of sessions, instead of just exposing him.
"He's up there for this week and we'll see how he presents at the end of the week and where that takes us after that.
"He's not available for us, he's not quite ready. But we're all contributing a part to getting him back on the pitch."
Wales conclude their Six Nations campaign with home games against title favourites France on 11 March, followed by Italy eight days later.
When asked whether Jones could still realistically feature in the tournament, Booth added: "The one thing I've learned about Al is that the worst thing you can say to him is that he can't do something, because he'll go out of his way to prove you wrong.
"He's very committed, he's ready when he's ready and everyone is doing everything they can to get him ready as soon as possible."
