Wales centre Roberts aims for Christmas return

Centre Joe Roberts has been capped twice by Wales

Welsh professional rugby returns next weekend for the start of another season but Scarlets and Wales centre Joe Roberts will have to wait a little bit longer.

Roberts, 24, scored a try on his second cap in the 2024 Six Nations defeat to France in Cardiff but missed the summer tour because of a long-term knee injury.

The centre has revealed the extraordinary extent of the problem and his recovery.

"I had to get a bone transplant flown in from somewhere, I think it came from America," said Roberts.

"I had a hole in my knee.

"It was in the bottom of my femur where it came into my knee, on the outside. They scraped the mess out of there and plugged the hole with another person's bone.

"It was wear and tear, a build-up from when I first did my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) a few years ago.

"If you looked at my knee now from a medical point of view, it should look healthy because the bone surface is healed and the plug would have worked.

"I have a few injuries now. Hopefully this is the last one."

Return date targeted

Roberts impressed on his international debut against England in August 2023 in the World Cup warm-up but missed the global tournament in France.

He returned to the Test stage against France before his latest setback.

"The time frame they gave me was anywhere between six and 12 months, but the surgeon said the operation went well and hopefully I should be back before Christmas," said Roberts.

"I am doing strength testing and that has come back well. Hopefully I should be running within a few weeks."

Roberts aims to return to the international stage.

"I need to get back on the pitch and perform and get back to where I was and then can start thinking of the future," said Roberts.

"The ultimate goal would be the next World Cup but I am just looking forward to getting back."

Scarlets have a young crop of centres with Roberts joined by Eddie James, Macs Page and Johnny Williams following the departure of Jonathan Davies and Scott Williams.

"I based my game off theirs (Davies and Williams)," said Roberts.

"They were great to me to be fair, both of them. They helped me in all sorts of ways, not just on the field, but through my injuries as well. They were great role models.

"It's different because we have had that old guard for so long, there is a new crop coming through now."

Fulfilling expectations

Carwyn Tuipulotu was educated at Sedbergh School and studied philosophy at Swansea University

Roberts' Scarlets team-mate Carwyn Tuipulotu is fit, with the number eight looking for an injury-free season.

Tuipulotu's promise was identified when he was coming through the junior ranks, especially with his family connection as a cousin of Taulupe Faletau and Vunipola brothers, Billy and Mako.

"There was a lot of media attention on me when I first came to Wales," said Tuipulotu.

"The links that were made between me and my cousins meant they were expecting a certain level of play from me because of that but players develop at different times.

"It was quite easy for my head to be above the clouds. It was nice to see all the media stuff, but I had to mature a bit.

"The media is a scary place, I had to learn that. You get the good and bad of it.

"Very early I had to learn that people are always going to say the worst things about you. You have to keep to one mindset.

"I have done work over the past three years with psychologists and mental-performance coaches, picking up techniques.

"It been about reminding me of when I was a kid and playing purely for the enjoyment of the game."

Wales ambitions

Tuipulotu, 22, was born in Abergavenny and is the son of former Tonga international Katilimoni Tuipulotu, who played club rugby in Wales for Dunvant and Neath.

Originally with the Newcastle Falcons academy, he was picked up through the Welsh Exiles programme and joined Scarlets.

"It's a big ambition to play for Wales and follow in the footsteps of Taulupe," said Tuipulotu.

"I'm trying to keep my head down, work hard and see what happens."

Despite Wales ambitions, Tuipulotu taps into his Tongan roots and has the help of Vaea Fifita and Sam Lousi at Scarlets.

"It is important to me," said Tuipulotu.

"I was born and raised in the UK and been here all my life so I haven't really got to connect with that heritage side of my family.

"Vaea has shown me a lot and helped me on the field also. He and Sam have almost become like big brothers to me, I am the baby brother of the tribe.

"They keep me on track."