Wales blow as hooker Ken Owens suffers shoulder injury ahead of Autumn campaign

Ken Owens, the Wales hooker, has been forced to withdraw from the national team's training squad after sustaining a shoulder injury. Owens suffered the blow playing for Scarlets last weekend in the Pro14 against Glasgow Warriors.

A squad update from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) revealed that Owens and Josh Macleod, the uncapped Scarlets back-row, have both been released "due to respective injuries which preclude them from taking a significant part in training".

Dragons hooker Elliot Dee and Scarlets flanker James Davies have both been called up to replace Owens and Macleod, with Dee having missed the Six Nations earlier this year through injury.

Davies' brother, the Wales centre Jonathan Davies, meanwhile has revealed that he feared his career could be over after suffering a knee injury.

The British and Irish Lions international missed Wales' Six Nations in the spring before making his comeback last month, and is now available for the conclusion of Wales' Six Nations campaign and the Autumn Nations Cup.

The 32 year-old admitted that given the type of operation he underwent, he had doubts over whether he would add to his 87 Test caps for Wales and the Lions.

"The type of surgery I had meant there was a waiting game," Davies said. "I had to keep my knee dead straight for 12 weeks and at that point I had a scan to see how the surgery went.

"All other operations that I have had, you know you have been repaired when you are in the hospital bed and you have been stitched back up. But with this one, I was hoping the body would adapt and help itself to recover. Thankfully it did and since that point it has been pretty good and I have been happy with my rehab programme."