Ospreys must ignore Henson uncertainty, warns Jones

RYAN JONES says the Ospreys must ignore uncertainty over Gavin Henson’s future that has forced his exclusion from their Heineken Cup squad.

Henson has not played since damaging his ankle in April and has been put on indefinite leave amid speculation his interest in the game is waning.

The injury-blighted Wales centre failed to appear for training during the summer and his silence since has plunged his future into doubt.

Ospreys captain Jones admitted the region’s only option was to omit the 27-year-old from their Heineken Cup squad and claimed they must come to terms with his absence.

“The situation with Gavin hasn’t changed. We’ll wait and see what happens,” said the Wales skipper.

“Gavin hasn’t been training with us and you can’t include someone in the squad if they haven’t been training.

“I haven’t spoken to him for a while but he’s been in contact with a few of the boys and the management.

“I’m just getting on with it and will catch up with him soon.

“The situation with him is not a distraction for the team or myself. There are people far higher up the food chain who are dealing with it.

“There’s so much else to focus on. The boys we have got are working really hard and we’ve got to move on from Gavin. We can’t dwell on him or use his situation as an excuse for anything that happens.”

Jones wished Henson a speedy recovery from his ongoing injury problems and admitted the Ospreys, who open their Heineken Cup campaign at Leicester on October 11, would feel his loss keenly.

“I like Gav as a person and think he’s a world class rugby player,” he said.