Jenkins faces surgery after Prem Final as Exeter count the cost of Twickenham defeat

Dafydd Jenkins will miss Wales’ summer Nations Championship campaign after sustaining a shoulder injury in Exeter Chiefs’ Gallagher Premiership Final defeat to Northampton Saints at Twickenham, head coach Rob Baxter confirmed. The lock, who scored a try and was sin-binned during the final, was replaced by Ross Vintcent and will now require surgery.

Jenkins had been an ever-present for Wales head coach Steve Tandy throughout the Six Nations and was left out of Tandy’s 33-man squad for the three-Test summer series against Fiji, Argentina and South Africa. Baxter said the 23-year-old is expected to return in time for the start of the 2026-27 Premiership season.

“Daf is having a shoulder operation and will miss the Wales summer internationals while rehabbing. However, he is expected to be fit for around the start of the new Gallagher Prem season,” Baxter said.

It is not the first time Jenkins has faced a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Two years ago he missed the opening months of the 2024-25 campaign after undergoing double surgery on his knee and a shoulder rotator cuff injury sustained on international duty in Australia, keeping him sidelined until close to Christmas.

Jenkins is not the only casualty from the Twickenham showpiece. Hooker Max Norey, who started Exeter’s final seven matches of the season, suffered a torn calf just eight minutes into the final. Baxter confirmed Norey is also expected to be fit for the start of the 2026-27 season.

The injury news compounds a difficult period for the club, who are poised to formally announce a £45 million takeover by Black Knight Entertainment, the group owned by AFC Bournemouth owner Bill Foley.

Wales’ squad for the Nations Championship does include Exeter back rower Kane James, along with Ospreys tight-head prop Ben Warren — the two uncapped players named by Tandy.