Exeter's Jenkins to miss Premiership start after surgery

Dafydd Jenkins spent the summer on tour with Wales in Australia after the Premiership season concluded

Wales lock Dafydd Jenkins will miss the start of the 2024-25 Premiership season for Exeter Chiefs after having surgery on his knee and shoulder.

The 21-year-old Exeter captain picked up the knee injury while on international duty with Wales this summer in Australia and has been suffering from a sore shoulder rotator cuff injury.

Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter said the timescale for his skipper's return is "a little bit fluid".

"We’ve got to see in the early initial period of his rehab where he’ll get to," Baxter said.

"Both the club and Wales feel now is the right time to have them both addressed."

Jenkins played 20 games for Exeter last season as well as seven appearances for Wales this year.

"He’s a young man who has played a lot of rugby for both Chiefs and Wales, so it’s important that he gets them sorted properly now so that he has that extended period of rehab to get himself back fit and ready for what everyone knows is going to be a very good career," Baxter said.

Jenkins joins England centre Henry Slade on the unavailable list for Exeter when the new season begins, after he also underwent shoulder surgery.

The Chiefs start their Premiership campaign at home to Leicester Tigers on Saturday, 21 September.